California Sen. Kamala Harris announced a plan to honor the late Shirley Chisholm just a few days into Women's History Month. The 54-year-old took to Twitter where she stated her intent to reintroduce a bill to have a statue of Chisholm placed in the U.S. Capitol. Harris plans to join New York Rep. Yvette Clarke in her efforts.
"Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress more than 50 years ago & her legacy of fighting for the voiceless deserves to stand tall in Congress. Today I'm re-introducing a bill with @RepYvetteClarke to place a statue of Shirley in the U.S. Capitol #WHM," she captioned her post.
Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress more than 50 years ago & her legacy of fighting for the voiceless deserves to stand tall in Congress. Today I'm re-introducing a bill with @RepYvetteClarke to place a statue of Shirley in the U.S. Capitol. #WHM
pic.twitter.com/QJjMvzkZnj— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) March 7, 2019
As Blavity previously reported, Harris announced her plans to run in the 2020 presidential election on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 21. The date also paid homage to the 47th anniversary of the beginning of Chisholm's historic presidential campaign. Harris also honored Chisholm by creating a campaign logo resembling Chisholm's red and yellow campaign buttons.
The Howard alumna was the first Black woman to enter the upcoming presidential race.
In Harris' tweet, she noted 20 Black women are serving in Congress, all of whom stand on the shoulders of Chisholm.
She added there are over 100 statues in the United States Capitol, with only four honoring African Americans: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks and Frederick Douglass.
"Shirley Chisholm had guts," Harris wrote on Instagram. "She had guts to oppose the Vietnam War. The guts to run for president in 1972. The guts to speak uncomfortable truths," Harris captioned in an Instagram post honoring Chisholm. "To ensure her legacy continues to endure and thrive I’ve reintroduced a bill to place a statue of her in our nation’s Capitol."
Per Harris' website, Chisholm was the first Black woman to pursue a major party’s nomination for president, the first Black woman elected to Congress and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. The New York native also served as a New York State Assembly member.
“Shirley’s legacy inspires us to continue our fight to give a voice to the voiceless and pursue justice and equality for every American. Her legacy deserves to stand tall in the United States Capitol," Harris said.
Another congresswoman has also been vocal about her admiration for Chisholm. In December, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) shared that a kind colleague who would be stationed in Chisholm's old congressional office offered to swap offices with Pressley given her adoration for the trailblazer.
She was more than elated.
Wow! TY Mommy for the extra bday luck! We just learned my Congressional Office designation will be #ShirleyChisholm 's former office. How's that for divine intervention, AND the selflessness of my colleague @KatieHill4CA who drew a better lottery# but still wanted me to have it.
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) December 17, 2018
We're here for all of it.
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