A poignant op-ed in The Grio is reminding millions what America’s first Black woman in Congress predicted back in the late 1960s.
“In 1969, then-freshman Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm predicted this political moment,” political analyst Juanita Tolliver began.
“I believe this country will be saved by women and students, and if the women come together in spite of racial differences, class differences, economic differences and back a strong woman, I could see this happening in about 70 to 75 years,” Chisholm said during an interview with David Frost, a renowned English journalist who asked her if there could ever be a woman president of the United States.
Chisholm’s vision was much more optimistic and inclusive compared to President Gerald Ford’s grim outlook in 1989. Ford had suggested that a woman would only reach the presidency through the death of a sitting president. Fortunately, Chisholm’s hopeful prediction is partially coming true, Tollvier wrote.
She added that President Joe Biden’s choice to step down from the 2024 presidential race, following encouragement from Democratic Party leaders, has paved the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to step up and secure the Democratic nomination. This decision adds to Biden’s legacy of supporting and promoting Black leaders, having previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, the first Black president, for two terms.
“In August 2020, Biden selected then-Senator Kamala Harris to serve as his running mate and the first Black and Southeast Asian woman vice president. In 2022, Biden nominated the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. And in 2024, he passed the torch to Vice President Harris as she prepared to become the first Black and Southeast Asian woman to earn the Democratic nomination for president, and potentially become the first woman elected president of the United States,” Tolliver wrote.
She continued: “Biden also satisfied one of Chisholm’s conditions for the nation to elect the first woman president, and now, the unity coalition of women and young people that she outlined must drive this mission forward — and they’re off to a strong start.”
In 2022, Biden made history by nominating Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. In 2024, he handed over the reins to Vice President Harris, who is on the verge of becoming the first Black and Southeast Asian woman to secure the Democratic nomination for president. This milestone could lead to her becoming the first woman ever elected as President of the United States, Tolliver believes.
“Biden also satisfied one of Chisholm’s conditions for the nation to elect the first woman president, and now, the unity coalition of women and young people that she outlined must drive this mission forward — and they’re off to a strong start,” she concluded.
