Black History Month may be over, but that doesn't mean we stop celebrating our icons.
On Tuesday, Sen. Kamala Harris and Rep. Yvette Clarke announced on Twitter that they will co-sponsor a bicameral bill that calls for a statute of Shirley Chisholm to be placed in the U.S. Capitol.
Shirley Chisholm deserves a permanent place among other defining figures in the Capitol. Representation matters. My sister-colleague, @SenKamalaHarris, and I are going to make sure it happens. #ChisholminUSCapitol
https://t.co/aluXHXScuj— Yvette D. Clarke (@RepYvetteClarke) February 28, 2018
I’m cosponsoring a bicameral bill with @RepYvetteClarke to place a statue of Shirley Chisholm in our nation’s Capitol. #UnboughtandUnbossed
pic.twitter.com/QYePqMSLOK— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) February 27, 2018
Chisholm is definitely worthy of such a monument. In 1972, she became the first black candidate for any major party's nomination for president and the first woman to run for president for the Democratic Party. She spent most of her career as an educator before entering the tough New York political arena. Chisholm got her start as a New York state assemblywoman serving from 1965 to 1968.
Her effective leadership propelled her to the national stage a year later. From Jan. 3, 1969 until Jan. 3, 1983, she served in the U.S. House of Representatives on behalf of New York's 12th Congressional District.
Other major Democratic senators like Cory Booker, Tim Kaine, Kirsten Gillibrand and Bernie Sanders will also be sponsoring the Senate version of the bill. The bill proposes that a statue be constructed and displayed at the Capitol within five years of its passage.
If they're able to get the bill passed, this will be a major move for the culture.
