[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 102 (Monday, July 25, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H6395-H6397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CONGRESSWOMAN SHIRLEY A. CHISHOLM POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 571) to designate the facility of the United States 
Postal Service located at 1915 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, New York, as 
the ``Congresswoman Shirley A. Chisholm Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                 S. 571

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CONGRESSWOMAN SHIRLEY A. CHISHOLM POST OFFICE 
                   BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 1915 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, New York, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Congresswoman Shirley 
     A. Chisholm Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the Congresswoman Shirley A. Chisholm Post 
     Office Building.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Issa) and the gentleman Illinois (Mr. Davis) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Senate 571, sponsored in the other body by the distinguished Senator 
from New York, Senator Charles Schumer,

[[Page H6396]]

honors the late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first African 
American woman elected to Congress.
  Born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 20, 1924, Shirley Chisholm 
spent a lifetime advocating civil rights for all Americans. After 
graduating with honors from Brooklyn College, Shirley Chisholm worked 
at the Mount Cavalry Child Care Center in Harlem for several years. 
Later, she founded the Unity Democrat Club, which mobilized black and 
Hispanic voters. In 1964, Shirley Chisholm ran for and won a State 
assembly seat in the New York General Assembly. During her term, Ms. 
Chisholm most notably championed bills to aid day care centers and 
schools.
  In 1968, she campaigned and was elected as the Representative from 
New York's Twelfth District to the United States Congress, where she 
served until 1982. Throughout her tenure, Congresswoman Chisholm boldly 
spoke out on civil rights, women's liberties, and issues specifically 
affecting those in need.
  In 1972, Congresswoman Chisholm was emboldened and encouraged, as 
many are, to run for President. That year, she sought the Democrat 
nomination for President and in doing so became the first African 
American woman to run for the White House on a major party ticket. She 
received nearly 5 percent of the vote in the Democrat national 
convention, losing the nomination to then--Senator George McGovern of 
South Dakota.
  Mr. Speaker, Shirley Chisholm sadly passed away on January 1 of this 
year. It is clear that Shirley Chisholm touched her colleagues and 
constituents with her courageous and groundbreaking public service 
career. Thus, it is appropriate to name the post office located in her 
hometown of Brooklyn in Congresswoman Chisholm's honor. I urge all my 
colleagues to join me in supporting Senate 571.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Government Reform, 
I am pleased to join my colleague in the consideration of S. 571, 
legislation designating a postal facility in Brooklyn, New York, after 
the late Shirley Chisholm.
  This measure, which was introduced by Senator Charles Schumer of New 
York on March 9, 2005, was unanimously passed by the Senate on July 29, 
2005. An identical bill, H.R. 1208, has been introduced by a Democrat 
in the House, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns).
  Shirley Chisholm, a native New Yorker, was the first African American 
woman to be elected to Congress. After serving in the New York State 
legislature from 1964 to 1968, Ms. Chisholm was elected to the 91st 
Congress, where she represented the Twelfth Congressional District.
  As a former educator and child care manager, Shirley worked hard in 
Congress on issues ranging from employment and education, to day care 
and income-support programs. She pushed hard to end the draft and 
reduce defense spending. She served in six Congresses, from 1969 to 
1983, and was not a candidate for reelection to the 98th Congress.
  Shirley Chisholm will be remembered for always fighting the good 
fight and for being the first black woman to announce her candidacy for 
President of the United States in 1972. In her speech before the 
Democratic National Convention in Miami, she declared ``Although I am a 
woman, and I am equally proud of that, I am not the candidate of any 
political bosses or special interests. I am the candidate of the 
people.''
  Shirley Chisholm was fond of saying that she was unbought and 
unbossed, simply meaning that she did not represent any particular 
special interest, but she represented the will of the people.
  Sadly, she passed away on January 1, 2005. Mr. Speaker, the late 
Shirley Chisholm was a legend; and I commend Senator Schumer and the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns) for seeking to honor her hard work 
and dedication in this matter, and I urge support for this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the legacy of my 
predecessor and mentor, the Honorable Shirley A. Chisholm. In order to 
provide her community with an enduring testament to her name, S. 571, 
and its companion bill H.R. 1209, will designate the facility of the 
United States Postal Service located at 1915 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, 
New York, as the ``Congresswoman Shirley A. Chisholm Post Office 
Building.''
  Mrs. Chisholm was a New York icon and committed public servant. She 
was born in Brooklyn, on November 30, 1924, graduated with honors from 
Brooklyn College, and earned a Master's degree from Columbia 
University. She was an active member of the National Association for 
the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), founder of the Unity 
Democratic Club, and Representative in the New York State Assembly 
(1964-68).
  In 1968, Mrs. Chisholm became the first African American woman to be 
elected to Congress and serve for seven consecutive terms. During her 
congressional career (1968-82), Mrs. Chisholm served on the House 
Education and Labor, Veterans' Affairs and Rules Committees, where she 
passionately advocated for the rights of women, children, and 
minorities, and staunchly opposed the Vietnam War. In fact, she was 
unmatched as a voice for social justice.
  Mrs. Chisholm was also a founding member of the Congressional Caucus 
for Women's Issues and the Congressional Black Caucus, and the first 
African American to seek the nomination of a major political party for 
President of the United States (1972). Her ``unbought and unbossed'' 
political style allowed her to make friends and political alliances on 
both sides of the aisle. In addition, her lifetime achievements have 
inspired members of her Brooklyn community, and generations of women 
and African Americans, to engage in our nation's policymaking. We are 
forever grateful for her trailblazing effort.
  Mrs. Chisholm was truly one in a million. I am honored to have been 
part of her Brooklyn political circle and to have worked along side her 
throughout her political career. In particular, I am thankful for her 
recommendation of my former chief-of-staff, the late Dr. Brenda 
Pillors. She, like Mrs. Chisholm, was an insightful and innovative 
force on Capitol Hill and a source of inspiration for me. Mr. Speaker, 
in light of the accomplishments and contributions of The Honorable 
Shirley Chisholm, I deem her to be more than worthy of the designation 
of a post office building in her name.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of designating the United 
States Postal Service facility at 1915 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, NY, 
as the Congresswoman Shirley A. Chisholm Post Office Building.
  When I think about the honorable lady from Brooklyn, I am constantly 
reminded of her personal and campaign slogan of ``unbought and 
unbossed.'' This bold assertion of independence captured the essence of 
who Shirley Chisholm was: a woman, a Black woman, who was long a 
champion of justice and a true pioneer who broke the glass ceiling for 
women in politics and elected office. Her life presented a model of 
resistance to discrimination, of challenge to the status quo, and of 
the inappropriateness of stereotypes. She broke barriers by her very 
presence and she set examples for future generations of leaders by her 
demeanor and behavior.
  Shiirley was an individual with a clear vision of the right--not the 
political right, but the moral one. She knew that to overcome struggle 
minorities, those with the least power in a democracy, must stand up to 
the majority. They must counter the popular misconceptions and prove 
those in positions of authority of the wrongness of their ideas.
  Shirley was determined to lift the Black community in its own eyes as 
well as the rest of the world. She was confident in herself and her 
ability to get tasks done and she passed that confidence to those who 
were in her presence. At a time when few Blacks and few women held 
elected office, Shirley stepped forward for a seat in the House of 
Representatives and won that seat. She also stood up against the 
hierarchy and leadership of the Democratic party and ran for President. 
Facing insurmountable odds was not enough to prevent Shirley from 
advocating, fighting for, and working towards the goal of being 
President of the United States of America. Could you only imagine how 
different this country would have been if Shirley had won?
  I thank the Honorable Gentleman from New York, Mr. Towns, as well as 
the Honorable Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton for 
introducing and championing this legislation into the 109th Congress. 
We send an important message to the Nation by paying honor to this 
extraordinary individual. We send the message that regardless of your 
race, your background, and your gender, you can be respected in this 
country for your determination, commitment, dedication, and hard work 
to justice and equality. This is a powerful message to send today to 
our young people in particular.

[[Page H6397]]

                              {time}  1515

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kolbe). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 571.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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