[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2228-2229]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING SHIRLEY CHISHOLM

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 52, submitted earlier 
today by Senator Clinton.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 52) honoring Shirley Chisholm for her 
     service to the Nation and expressing condolences to her 
     family, friends, and supporters on her death.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I add my voice to so many in New York 
and Washington who are mourning the loss

[[Page 2229]]

of Representative Shirley Chisholm of New York. Shirley Chisholm was a 
bold pioneer who fought for civil rights and equality with an energy 
that forever changed the way American politics deals with matters of 
race and gender.
  When she was elected to Congress in 1968, Representative Chisholm 
became the first African-American congresswoman. She overcame the twin 
obstacles of racism and sexism to win election. But she didn't stop 
there. When she reached Congress she spoke with a loud, clear voice, 
and she quickly lived up to her slogan of being ``unbought and 
unbossed.'' She was a cofounder of the Congressional Black Caucus in 
1969, and she fought to improve the lives and opportunities of inner 
city children and families. She opposed the Vietnam war and the 
military draft. And she bravely declaimed the sexism and racism she 
encountered in a political world that, prior to her arrival, had been 
exclusively white and almost exclusively male.
  Her positions on the issues and her statements about race and gender 
made her a lightning rod for criticism. But despite the intense 
pressure of being both outspoken and a ``first,'' Representative 
Chisholm continued to blaze a path to greater equality. In 1972, she 
became the first woman to run for the Democratic Presidential 
nomination. Despite being largely ignored by the media, her committed 
run for the Presidency, and the 152 delegates she won, proved to the 
entire country that a woman was up to the task of taking on a serious 
run for national office.
  Representative Chisholm was a powerful symbol, an ``historical 
person'' as she put it. But perhaps her greatest achievement was 
reminding us that the purpose of fighting for equality is not to simply 
make a point or become a symbol; it is to work for that day when we can 
all enjoy the quiet responsibility of being equal. As she explained in 
her 1969 speech to the House in favor of the equal rights amendment: 
``A woman who aspires to be the chairman of the board or a member of 
the House does so for exactly the same reason as any man . . . She 
thinks she can do the job and she wants to try.''
  Arthur Ashe said that heroism ``is not the urge to surpass all others 
at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.'' 
Representative Chisholm was a heroine. She knew that ``there is little 
place in the political scheme of things for an independent, creative 
personality, for a fighter. Anyone who takes that role must pay a 
price.'' She paid that price in order to serve Americans who were not 
being served by the political establishment. She fought injustice and 
discrimination and refused to be cowed by a history of exclusion. And 
in so doing, she served not only the constituents of her time but all 
Americans for all times.
  Shirley Chisholm's legacy is undeniable; 13 African-American women 
served in the House in the 108th Congress. We are grateful for her 
life, and we are grateful for the doors she opened and the barriers she 
brought down on behalf of us all.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
and preamble be agreed to en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid 
upon the table en bloc, and that any statements relating to the 
resolution be printed in the Record, without intervening action or 
debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 52) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 52

       Whereas Shirley Chisholm was born Shirley Anita St. Hill on 
     November 30, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York, to Charles and Ruby 
     St. Hill, immigrants from British Guyana and Barbados;
       Whereas in 1949, Shirley Chisholm was a founding member of 
     the Bedford-Stuyvesant Political League;
       Whereas in 1960, she established the Unity Democratic Club, 
     which was instrumental in mobilizing black and Hispanic 
     voters;
       Whereas in 1964, Chisholm ran for a New York State Assembly 
     seat and won;
       Whereas in 1968, Chisholm became the first African-American 
     woman elected to Congress, representing New York's Twelfth 
     Congressional District;
       Whereas as a member of Congress, Chisholm was an advocate 
     for civil rights, women's rights, and the poor;
       Whereas in 1969, Shirley Chisholm, along with other 
     African-American members of Congress, founded the 
     Congressional Black Caucus;
       Whereas on January 25, 1972, Chisholm announced her 
     candidacy for President and became the first African-American 
     to be considered for the presidential nomination by a major 
     national political party;
       Whereas although Chisholm did not win the nomination at the 
     1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami, she received 
     the votes of 151 delegates;
       Whereas Shirley Chisholm served 7 terms in the House of 
     Representatives before retiring from politics in 1982;
       Whereas Shirley Chisholm was a dedicated member of Delta 
     Sigma Theta Sorority and received the sorority's highest 
     award, the Mary Church Terrell Award, in 1977 for her 
     political activism and contributions to the Civil Rights 
     Movement;
       Whereas Shirley Chisholm was a model public servant and an 
     example for African-American women, and her strength and 
     perseverance serve as an inspiration for all people striving 
     for change; and
       Whereas on January 1, 2005, Shirley Chisholm died at the 
     age of 80: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors Shirley Chisholm for her service to the Nation, 
     her work to improve the lives of women and minorities, her 
     steadfast commitment to demonstrating the power of 
     compassion, and her dedication to justice and equality; and
       (2) expresses its deepest condolences to her family, 
     friends, and supporters.

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