Civil Rights
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
q2K BHP
Black History Portal
THE BHP WIRE —
HIDDEN TRUTHS
What's New!
Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
| Shirley | |
|---|---|
 Release poster | |
| Directed by | John Ridley |
| Written by | John Ridley |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Ramsey Nickell |
| Edited by | JoAnne Yarrow |
| Music by | Tamar-kali |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Shirley is a 2024 American biographical drama film written and directed by John Ridley. The film stars Regina King in the title role, alongside Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson, Michael Cherrie, André Holland, and Terrence Howard.
It depicts the 1972 presidential run of Shirley Chisholm, who was the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress.
Shirley had a limited theatrical release in the United States on March 15, 2024, before its streaming debut on Netflix on March 22, 2024.
Shirley Chisholm, shortly after being elected as the first Black woman to the United States Congress for Brooklyn, immediately butts heads. Firstly, one of her colleagues essentially bullies her daily by marvelling to her that they all receive the same high salary. Then she protests that, as a new congressperson, she is automatically assigned to an agricultural committee although she represents an urban borrough. Shirley is informed that a new congressperson she is expected to tow the line.
At Christmas 1971, after being told voters raised double what she had asked to put herself on the ballot, Shirley decides to run for president of the United States in 1972, becoming the first Black candidate to run for a major-party nomination for president and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's nomination. Present are her husband Conrad, Mac Holder and Arthur Harwick Jr. who are designated as security, campaign advisor and head of finances, respectively.
Shirley tracks down the now Cornell student Robert Gottlieb to be her national student coordinator as 18-year-olds finally have the right to vote. Stanley Townsend is taken on as campaign manager.
As Shirley is campaigning around the country, due to time and financial contraints, she rejects going to several states. After getting a fraction of the Democratic votes in Florida, she caves in to Walter Fauntroy. Shirley backs out of the D.C. vote to supposedly not split it, as he promises to later pass her his delegates and endorse her.
When the major TV networks NBC, ABC and CBS leave Shirley off the list to debate nationally, the campaign turns to Robert. A law student, he goes ahead to try to sue them for her right to be heard.
As The New York Times is about to do a profile piece on her, Shirley asks her sister Muriel if she and their other sisters will support her. Soon, she learns her family and many in the neighborhood feel she received favoritism from their father and she is alienating them. Muriel states they will not talk to the press, and leaves.
At a campaign fundraiser and party, someone pocketed most of the donations. Frustrated and calling the campaign a joke, Stanley quits. Shirley convinces him to accompany her to her office, where she chastises him for undermining her in front of everyone, then fires him. Dejected, Arthur voices his support both if Shirley keeps in the race or not.
After Shirley tells Conrad of the additional expenses needed to continue her campaign through California to have influence at the DNC, they argue. However, he ultimately hands her the reigns.
Robert's case against the networks is ultimately successful, so Shirley gets her airtime to get her platform exposure and heard in the debates. A meeting with the Black Panthers, she gains their endorsement, but does not win in the winner-takes-all California.
Seemingly gaining momentum, Shirley begins to get black delegates to be able to influence the DNC, when word comes out that Fauntroy has dropped out. Her elation of potentially having over 200 delegates is short-lived as he does not pass his delegates to her as promised. Ron Dellums also pulls his endorsement, implying that those not supporting McGovern are cynical and diabolical, dreamers and fools.
Deciding to officially pass on her remaining delegates to McGovern, she releases a statement declaring her goal was to be a catalyst for change. She continued in congress for several terms, influencing a great deal of legislation and inspiring many to also make a difference.
In February 2021, it was announced that a biographical film based on the life and career of Shirley Chisholm was in development, with Regina King cast in the eponymous role and John Ridley directing and writing the screenplay.[1][2]
In December 2021, Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, André Holland, Terrence Howard, Christina Jackson, Michael Cherrie, Dorian Missick, Amirah Vann, W. Earl Brown, and Ethan Jones Romero joined the cast.[3] Brian Stokes Mitchell, Brad James, and Reina King ultimately rounded out the cast.[4]
As of December 7, 2021, filming had begun in Cincinnati.[5]
Shirley had a limited theatrical release in the United States on March 15, 2024, before its streaming debut on Netflix on March 22, 2024.[4][6]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 73% of 75 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Regina King does a stellar job in Shirley's title role, imbuing this fairly standard biopic with the heart and soul its subject so richly deserves."[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 57 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[8]
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Shirley Anita Chisholm ( CHIZ-əm; née St. Hill; November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th congressional district, a district centered in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. In 1972, she became the first black candidate for a major-party nomination for President of the United States and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. Throughout her career, she was known for taking "a resolute stand against economic, social, and political injustices", as well as being a strong supporter of black civil rights and women's rights. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, she spent ages five through nine in Barbados, and she always considered herself a Barbadian American. She excelled at school and earned her degrees in Brooklyn and at Columbia University. She started working in early-childhood education, and she became involved in local Democratic Party politics in the 1950s. In 1964, overcoming resistance because she was a woman, she was elected to the New York State Assembly. Four years later, she was elected to Congress, where she led the expansion of food and nutrition programs for the poor and rose to party leadership. She retired from Congress in 1983 and taught at Mount Holyoke College while continuing her political organizing. Although nominated for the ambassadorship to Jamaica in 1993, health issues caused her to withdraw. Chisholm was posthumously awarded both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.
In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress, and in 1972 she was the first Black major party ...
Shirley Chisholm State Park is a 407-acre (1.65 km2) state park in southeastern Brooklyn, New York City. It is bound by Belt Parkway and Spring Creek Park to the north and Jamaica Bay to the south, situated atop the former Pennsylvania Avenue and Fountain Avenue Landfills. The first sections of the park opened in 2019.
This item is a photograph of President William J. Clinton greeting Shirley Chisholm, Ambassador-Designate to Jamaica, in the Oval Office of the White House. The image was photographed by Robert McNeely.
Description
Description
Description
Description
Shirley is a 2024 American biographical drama film written and directed by John Ridley. The film stars Regina King in the title role, alongside Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson, Michael Cherrie, André Holland, and Terrence Howard. It depicts the 1972 presidential run of Shirley Chisholm, who was the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Shirley had a limited theatrical release in the United States on March 15, 2024, before its streaming debut on Netflix on March 22, 2024.
Uzoamaka Nwanneka "Uzo" Aduba ( ; born February 10, 1981) is an American actress. Her accolades include three Emmy Awards and five Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and one Tony Award. She is one of only two actors to win an Emmy Award in both the comedy and drama categories for the same role, the other being Ed Asner. Aduba has appeared in films including American Pastoral (2016), My Little Pony: The Movie (2017), Candy Jar (2018), Steven Universe: The Movie (2019), Miss Virginia (2019), National Champions (2021), and Lightyear (2022). She gained wide recognition for her role as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). Her performance won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014, an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, and two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015. In 2020, Aduba played Shirley Chisholm in the Hulu miniseries Mrs. America, for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries. In 2021, she starred in Lynn Nottage's play Clyde's on Broadway for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. Aduba starred in the 2025 Netflix series The Residence, earning a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.
