Women's History Month

The Legacy of Congressperson Shirley Chisholm

By Congressperson Barbara Lee BlackCommentator.com
Guest Commentator BC

http://www.blackcommentator.com/463/463_whm_chisholm_lee_guest.php

    The following is a statement by Congresswoman
    Barbara Lee (D-Ca) commemorating Women's
    History Month in 2009 and paying tribute to the
    late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm following
    the unveiling of a portrait of Chisholm that is
    now displayed in the Capitol.

Abolitionist and women's rights activist Sojourner
Truth once said, "If the first woman God ever made was
strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone,
these women together ought to be able to turn it back,
and get it right side up again!"

As we celebrate Women's History Month, let us reflect
on the generations of women who came before us and
their many contributions that have brought us to this
place in our history. Whether they were fighting for
equal rights and equal pay in the workplace, marching
for voting rights or working hard to provide for their
families, we pause to pay tribute to the many `sheroes'
both known and unknown.

I am pleased to pay tribute to my personal heroine and
mentor Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. This year, we
celebrate the 43rd Anniversary of Rep. Chisholm being
elected as the first African American Woman to the U.S.
Congress.  A trailblazer, Rep. Chisholm was also a
founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and
the first woman to vie for a major political party
presidential nomination.

She had a profound impact on my life. Were it not for
her encouragement, I would not have registered to vote
and ultimately run for elected office. Along with many
of my women colleagues, I stand on her enduring
shoulders.

As we remember Rep. Chisholm and those great women of
our past, we also celebrate the promise of those women
yet unborn. That they may have even more opportunities
than we have because of the sacrifices, blood, sweat
and tears of the many women warriors who have and
continue to fight for justice and equality and who are
working to turn the world "right side up again."
_________________

Women's History Month is celebrated in the United
States every year during the month of March.

BlackCommentator.com Guest Commentator, Congresswoman
Barbara Lee (D-CA) is a forceful and progressive voice
in Congress, dedicated to social and economic justice,
international peace, and civil and human rights.

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