Book details how Brooklyn’s Rabbi Schneerson inspired Shirley Chisholm to create WIC program
When President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Rep. Shirley Chisholm last week, he was doing more than honoring the first African-American congresswoman. He was also honoring a vision that two leaders from Brooklyn shared.
Chisholm (1924-2005) was raised and educated in both her native Brooklyn and in her mother’s native Barbados. She attended Girls High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and pursued a career in education both before and after her life in public service. She served in Congress from 1968 to 1983, representing Brooklyn’s 12th Congressional District.
In 1972, Chisholm became both the first African-American woman to run for president. Her famed campaign slogan was “Unbought and Unbossed.”
But perhaps Chisholm is best known for her courage and humility in transforming an apparent obstacle into one of her greatest achievements. The two attributes are often paired because it takes great courage to listen to another leader’s approach to meeting a challenge.