On this historic day, 52 years after Shirley Chisholm is elected to Congress and 48 years after her historic run for the Presidency, the Shirley Chisholm Project congratulates the President-elect Joseph Biden and Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris—the first woman of African descent and the first woman of South Asian descent to ascend to the U.S. Vice-Presidency.
Shirley Chisholm at the 1972 Democratic National Convention.
In 1972, presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm launched a campaign for women of color to assume power in the White House—and in seats of power throughout the nation. Today, we see one culmination of her fight. This afternoon, NBC News and the Associated Press declared Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the victors of the 2020 presidential election.
We take this moment to recognize the Black and Brown voters who mobilized in unprecedented numbers to end the Trump presidency. And, most of all, we want to honor the Black women, past and present, whose organizing leadership and political vision made it possible. This victory stands in the midst of the unknown men and women of marginalized communities who have fought to ensure American Democracy lives up to its ideals.
