Rep. Shirley Chishom

Shirley Chisholm was a self-identified Barbadian-American and Black woman who was a visionary for health care and reproductive justice. Chisholm is known as the first Black woman elected to the US Congress and also the first woman to undertake a serious presidential bid. A cornerstone of her presidential platform was the idea of a National Healthcare System, saying, “the institutions of this country belong to all the people who inhabit it. 

Chisholm took the fight with her during her Congressional service. While serving, she spoke passionately in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment, which expanded and protected women’s rights. She also spearheaded legislation to expand education and women’s health, with a focus on women educators and women in the health care industry. Abortion rights and specifically defined private bodily rights for all Americans.

In 1972, she threw her support behind Title IX, which would go on to successfully outlaw sex-based discrimination in education programs or activities that are federally funded. It also empowered students to seek justice when faced with sexual violence or harassment. It also progressed gender equity by providing protections for pregnant or parenting students.

In 1990, Chisholm, along with other prominent Black women, formed African American Women for Reproductive Justice. This group, using what is now called the “reproductive justice framework,” leveraged its influence to show its support for Roe v. Wade and the right to abortion access. 

During her seven terms, Rep. Chisholm revolutionized the Black Caucus and remained an outspoken champion for women’s reproductive rights, healthcare access, and abortion. In 2015, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

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