Shirley Chisholm: Champion of Black Feminist Power Politics

In her latest work, Curwood (African American and Africana studies, Univ. of Kentucky; Stormy Weather: Middle-Class African American Marriages Between the Two World Wars) takes on firebrand Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005), the first Black woman to serve in Congress, and later, the first Black major-party presidential candidate. Before becoming known as the “people’s politician,” Chisholm, the daughter of immigrants, spent her childhood in Barbados and Brooklyn, before being catapulted onto the national stage through her work in the Democratic party. This thorough biography of Chisholm is a welcome addition to the fields of political science and women’s studies, particularly due to Chisholm’s involvement in bolstering the Black feminist movement in the mid-20th century. Readers will be left with a greater understanding of her impact on the U.S. political landscape and the personal and political toll of her efforts; they’ll also develop a deeper understanding of the work to close inequality gaps that remains.