Shirley Anita St. Hill ChisholmA critical analysis of her life and political contributionsI. BIOGRAPHY Shirley Anita Chisholm, a distinguished African-American congresswoman, scholar, and spokesperson, was the first black woman elected to the United States House of Representatives. Chisholm was a dynamic speaker who boldly challenged traditional politics. “Fighter Shirley Chisholm,” as she was called during her first congressional campaign, championed liberal legislation from her seat in the House, from her inauguration in 1968 until her retirement in 1982. She led a unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972. Chisholm was born Shirley Anita St. Hill on November 30, 1924, in the poor Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. His father, an emigrant from Guyana, worked as an unskilled laborer and his mother, originally from Barbados, was a seamstress and domestic worker. Extraordinary circumstances separated Chisholm from his parents for much of his early childhood. Having trouble saving money to buy a house and for their children's education, the St. Hills sent their four daughters to live on a grandmother's farm in Barbados. From the ages of three to eleven, Chisholm received a British elementary education and acquired a West Indian speaking rhythm. Having had an important influence on his childhood, his grandmother instilled in him the values ​​of pride, courage and faith. Her parents brought her back to Brooklyn when she was eleven. Graduating with excellent academic record from an all-girls high school in Brooklyn, Chisholm won a scholarship to study sociology at Brooklyn College. She quickly became active in political circles, joining the Harriet Tubman Society, serving as an Urban League volunteer, and winning awards in debate. Her interest in her community led her to attend town meetings where, as a student, she amazed seniors by confronting civic leaders with questions about the quality of government services in her predominantly black neighborhood. While beginning to establish her profile in her community, she also impressed her teachers with a powerful speaking style and was encouraged to enter politics. She graduated with honors in sociology in 1946. While working in a preschool, she studied for a master's degree in elementary education at Columbia University where she met Conrad Chisholm, whom she married in 1949. Two years later, she received her master's degree early in her studies. childhood education. Over the next decade, Chisholm built a reputation as an authority on early childhood education and child welfare..