Senators’ legislation posthumously honors the legacy and life of the first Black woman to serve in Congress

The Shirley Chisholm Statue Act directs Congress to commission and place a statue of Shirley Chisolm in the United States Capitol

The Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act instructs Congress to posthumously award Chisolm with the Congressional Gold Medal

Senator Reverend Warnock: “Shirley Chisholm broke barriers for Black women, Black Americans, and any American who refuses to be confined by injustice. As an educator, and a trailblazing Congresswoman and presidential candidate, she fought for an inclusive democracy, one that lives up to our nation’s highest ideals of equity and justice under law”

Senator Butler: “Shirley Chisholm left a mark on our nation’s history that demands its own recognition. She was a trailblazer—the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first to run for President—who opened doors for generations of Black women”

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Laphonza Butler (D-CA) introduced the Shirley Chisholm Statue Act and Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act. The bipartisan bills commemorate Chisholm who in 1968 became the first Black woman elected to Congress.

The Shirley Chisholm Statue Act would direct Congress to commission and place a statue of the late Congresswoman in a permanent public location in the United States Capitol. The Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act would instruct Congress to posthumously award Congress’s highest honor to recognize Shirley Chisolm’s accomplishments, activism, and commemorate her legacy.

“Shirley Chisholm broke barriers for Black women, Black Americans, and any American who refuses to be confined by injustice. As an educator, and a trailblazing Congresswoman and presidential candidate, she fought for an inclusive democracy, one that lives up to our nation’s highest ideals of equity and justice under law,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “I am proud to partner with Senator Butler to honor Chisholm’s “unbought and unbossed” legacy with a permanent statue of her on Capitol Hill, and I will continue working to carry on her fight through my work in the Senate.”

“Shirley Chisholm left a mark on our nation’s history that demands its own recognition,” said Senator Butler. “She was a trailblazer—the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first to run for President—who opened doors for generations of Black women. It is my hope that the Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act honors her patriotism, leadership, and commitment to our nation. With her service to New York and our nation, she truly has earned it.”

Shirley Chisholm was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 30, 1924. She graduated from Brooklyn College and earned her master’s degree from Columbia University. Chisholm dedicated her entire career to service, working in education, social services, and joining local chapters of the National Association for League of Women Voters, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Urban League, before being elected as the second African American to the New York State Assembly in 1964.

During her seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and her run for President of the United States, Shirley Chisholm was an outspoken advocate for women and minorities through legislation and leadership. Nicknamed “Fighting Shirley”, she introduced 50 pieces of legislation and championed racial and gender equity, low-income communities, and the end of the Vietnam War. In 1972, Shirley Chisholm was the first African American to seek the nomination of a major party for President of the United States. She was a co-founder of the National Organization for Women and the National Political Congress of Black Women.

After a lifetime of service, Shirley Chisholm died at 80 in Orlando Beach, Florida, on New Year’s Day 2005. This November would have marked Chisholm’s 100th birthday. On her impact, Chisholm said, “I want to be remembered as a woman … who dared to be a catalyst of change.”

In the U.S. Senate, Senator Warnock has carried on this legacy as a fierce champion for democracy and ensuring full access to the freedom to vote by introducing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The bill would update and restore critical safeguards of the original Voting Rights Act of 1965 that have been eroded in recent years by federal court rulings. It would also strengthen our democracy by reestablishing preclearance for jurisdictions with a pattern of voting rights violations, protecting minority communities subject to discriminatory voting practices, and defending election workers from threats and intimidation.

In addition to Senators Warnock and Butler the Shirley Chisholm Statue Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tina Smith (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Bob Casey Jr. (D-PA), Alex Padillia (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Susan Collins (R-ME).

In addition to Senators Warnock and Butler the Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Corey Booker (D-NJ), Tina Smith (D-MI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Alex Padilla (D-CA).

The Shirley Chisholm Statue Act bill text can be found HERE

The Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act bill text can be found HERE