It’s Black History Month, and we are happy to note that Barbara Winslow’s new biography of Shirley Chisholm is gaining recognition.
The book, Shirley Chisholm: Catalyst for Change, is the first in over 40 years, and the only one to cover the later part of Ms. Chisholm’s life. Ms. Chisholm, who was the nation’s first African American woman elected to Congress and the first to run for President, fought for equal pay, access to education, universal child care and many other issues that still resonate today.
We are thrilled to announce that Sam Roberts just wrote about the book in his column in the New York Times. Meanwhile, the Park Slope Patch published a short interview with Barbara Winslow, and the Brooklyn Paper recently wrote an article about the biography, emphasizing the importance of keeping Ms. Chisholm’s memory fresh in today’s world. Meanwhile, in recognition of her immense contributions, the U.S. Postal Service has just come out with a stamp commemorating Ms. Chisholm.
The author, Barbara Winslow, is a professor of Women’s Studies at Brooklyn College, and is responsible for starting and running the Shirley Chisholm Project/Brooklyn Women’s Activism at Brooklyn College. The Project has catalogued many of Ms. Chisholm’s original materials, and there are amazing oral histories/accounts from people who actually knew/worked with Ms. Chisholm, or were influenced by her legacy, like Anita Hill, Gloria Steinem, Donna Brazile, Joyce Bolden, Patricia Schroeder, and former NYC Mayor David Dinkins. The book includes insights from all of these contributors, as well as information from Ms. Chisholm’s own FBI file. You can see the Project’s website here.
On a sadder note, we would like to express our deep regret for the loss of one of our era’s most talented actors, Mr. Philip Seymour Hoffman. We join with so many around the country to express our sadness and sympathy for his family and friends. We knew him as a Village denizen and a supporter of all things Greenwich Village. He will be missed.