I stand before you today to repudiate the ridiculous notion that the American people will not vote for qualified candidates simply because he is not white or because she is not a male.
Interpretation
This quote challenges racial and gender biases in politics, advocating for equality in candidate selection.
Shirley Chisholm's quote emphasizes the importance of rejecting prejudice based on race or gender in the political arena. By asserting that the American people are capable of voting for qualified candidates regardless of their race or gender, Chisholm advocates for a more inclusive political landscape that recognizes the value of diversity and promotes equal opportunities for all individuals in leadership roles.
In practice
During a women’s rights rally.
I was the first American citizen to be elected to Congress in spite of the double drawbacks of being female and having skin darkened by melanin. When you put it that way, it sounds like a foolish reason for fame. In a just and free society it would be foolish. That I am a national figure because I was the first person in 192 years to be at once a congressman, black and a woman proves, I think, that our society is not yet either just or free.
The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, 'It's a girl.'
I know that millions of Americans from all walks of life agree with me that leadership does not mean putting the ear to the ground to follow public opinion, but to have the vision of what is necessary and the courage to make it possible.
Of course laws will not eliminate prejudice from the hearts of human beings. But that is no reason to allow prejudice to continue to be enshrined in our laws - to perpetuate injustice through inaction.
I want history to remember me... not as the first black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of the United States, but as a black woman who lived in the 20th century and who dared to be herself. I want to be remembered as a catalyst for change in America.
America is composed of all kinds of people - part of the difficulty in our nation today is due to the fact that we are not utilising the abilities and the talents of other brown and black peoples and females that have something to bring to the creativity and the rejuvenation and the revitalisation of this country.
We need a fundamental change of mindset with regards to the way we speak and behave about sex and sexuality. Boys and men have a particularly critical role in this regard, changing the chauvinist and demeaning ways sexuality and women were traditionally dealt with in both our actions and speaking.
For the first time in the history of our country the majority of our people believe that the next five years will be worse than the past five years.
Remember, each one of us has the power to change the world. Just start thinking peace, and the message will spread quicker than you think.
So watch me strike a match on all my wasted time. As far as I'm concerned you're just another picture to burn.
Do not fear. Look beyond what's dying to what's being born.
Feminism is, I hope, a way to a better future for everyone who inhabits this world. Feminism should not be something that needs a seductive marketing campaign. The idea of women moving through the world as freely as men should sell itself.
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