Shirley Chisholm

The idea for the Illustrious Women series came to me in early 2017. It seemed there was a collective need to celebrate the feminine, and I wanted to draw attention to and educate myself about the many women who have gone before me- women who lived the lives they wanted to and bettered the world in the process. Shirley Chisholm Original gouache painting on 100% cotton paper Paper is approximately 5x6 inches; shown in 10x12 frames Signed on reverse Unframed Shirley Chisholm started her career as a teacher, and later became the first Black woman elected to Congress, where she worked on the Education and Labor Committee and was a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus. She was also the first Black woman to make a run for the Democratic presidential nomination. She worked throughout her life to further education and employment opportunities for minorities. What she hoped to be remembered for, though, was her ability to be herself. She said, “I want history to remember me not just as t