Gloria Steinem Pays Tribute to BC Alumna Shirley Chisholm, Celebrates New Exhibit

Gloria Steinem flanked by Barbara Winslow (l) and Pat Antoniello

Shirley Chisholm was a political trailblazer. In 1968 she became the first black woman elected to Congress, and in 1972 she sought the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, the first black candidate to run for a major party’s nomination for the nation’s highest elective office. On Tuesday, Nov. 25, a few days before she would have turned 84, Brooklyn College paid tribute to one of its most prominent alumni.

Feminist icon Gloria Steinem shared her memories of Chisholm in recognition of a new exhibit cosponsored by the Brooklyn College Women’s Studies Program and the Shirley Chisholm Center for Research on Women. The exhibit, A Catalyst for Change, celebrates Chisholm’s pioneering political career with original documents, including campaign videos, buttons, and position papers, and is on display at the Brooklyn College Library through Dec. 18.

"To think we had to wait almost four decades for some of what she was talking about to even begin to be true," Steinem, who campaigned for Chisholm, remarked to a standing-room only crowd in the Woody Tanger Auditorium. Echoes of Chisholm’s groundbreaking campaign reverberated in this year’s historic presidential election, from her rallying call––a catalyst for change––to her own hotly contested Democratic primaries––in which Chisholm was blocked from participating in debates and only allowed on the ballot in six states.

"Use well the voting power for which she fought," urged Steinem, who donated her delegate pass from the 1972 Democratic National Convention to the Chisholm Center’s collection of memorabilia. "Remember her when you celebrate the first time a woman and an African American were on the ballot in every state."

The event, which was followed by a reception in the library’s Special Collections Division, was attended by many local politicians and others who have worked to keep Chisholm’s legacy alive. Often noting that they owed some portion of their political ambition to Chisholm, U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke and N.Y. State Assemblymembers Nick Perry and Helene Weinstein all gave remarks and read proclamations honoring Chisholm. A representative from Borough President Marty Markowitz’s office declared Nov. 25 Shirley Chisholm Day in Brooklyn. U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson all sent written remarks. Shola Lynch, who produced a Peabody–award winning documentary on Chisholm, also attended the event as did two members of the latest generation of women to carry the Chisholm torch: Brooklyn College Shirley Chisholm scholars Daphne Brunet and Soribel Feliz, who get an internship with a lawmaker in Albany as part of the award.

Chisholm, who grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, had been accepted at Oberlin and Vassar but chose Brooklyn College because of its affordability. The daughter of West Indian immigrants not only excelled academically but she organized political clubs for black students and won awards for her debating prowess. She received her B.A. in sociology, cum laude, in 1946. She went on to enjoy a long and successful political career that started in the New York State Assembly, where she crafted legislation that lead to the creation of the SEEK program at CUNY, which continues to provide academic and financial assistance to students entering college for the first time. She also spent seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives working on important legislation to improve the lives of inner-city residents and advocating to increase spending on education and health care.

Brooklyn College President Christoph M. Kimmich said that the College was "proud to call Ms. Chisholm one of our own" and thanked Steinem for "helping remember her legacy." 

Describing Chisholm as "smiling and self-willed," Steinem shared many intimate recollections of the woman she often credits with being the first person to take the "white male only" sign off the White House door. Steinem said one of her greatest honors was when Chisholm once asked her to write a speech the candidate would read on television.

One of Steinem’s most stinging life lessons came when she read in a book, years after Chisholm’s presidential campaign, that she thought the feminist leader hadn’t campaigned hard enough for her. "It made me learn how important it is to talk to each other about misunderstandings," Steinem said. "Never, ever give in to silence."

Steinem even revealed that "fighting Shirley" also had a silly side. Once, at an anniversary celebration for the National Women’s Political Caucus (founded by both women in 1971) Chisholm pulled Steinem aside and, with an air of great seriousness, whispered in her ear: "Only you and I have kept our figures."

"That makes me laugh," Steinem told the crowd. "I feel grateful to have known this great woman."

"She not only didn’t pull the ladder up behind her," Steinem added. "She extended it."