The Story Of Shirley Chisholm On Stage

In 1972, Brooklyn-born Shirley St. Hill Chisholm made history as the first African American candidate to run for president of the United States. She was also the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, and in June of that year, became the first female to appear in a United States presidential debate.

The story of “Fighting Shirley” is coming to the stage at Southampton Arts Center in a one-woman play written and performed by part-time East Hampton resident Ingrid Griffith. Directed by Zoya Kachadurian, “Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed and Unbowed” tells the largely unheard story of Chisholm, a daughter of immigrant parents, who, in the 20th century, was the first African-American woman to win a seat in the U.S. Congress and run for the presidency. Presented with the Southampton African American Museum, the show will take place on Sunday, August 1, at 2 p.m., followed by a panel discussion. Details and tickets are available at southamptonartscenter.org/live.

“This compelling one-woman show telling the story of an important historical figure and icon not just to women, but to numerous marginalized communities, promises to be something special,” notes SAC Executive Director Tom Dunn. “While this performance dramatizes the Civil Rights era, it’s also relevant to what we still see in politics today. It’s an honor to present this important work alongside our friends at Southampton African American Museum, which formally opened on Juneteenth this year.”

“It’s been over 50 years since Shirley Chisholm fought for civil rights, women’s rights and justice for the disenfranchised,” Griffith added. “We are in a moment in history when we must continue the fight she waged so bravely. It’s time we all know Shirley Chisholm’s story. Our country is at a tipping point, suspended between great peril and great possibilities. Shirley Chisholm is not with us, but we can gain strength from her spirit, vision and strategies.”

The play journeys back to 10-year-old Chisholm returning to the United States after being separated from her parents during the depression. Audience members see how the years living with her grandmother in Barbados manifested and reinforced her Caribbean heritage in her bearing, speech pattern and expectations of herself. Chisholm’s childhood also shows how race and gender were intended to determine how far she would go in life, why as a young woman she chose to fight for the disenfranchised, and what it took for her to rise.

“Unbossed & Unbowed” dramatizes the Civil Rights era, the unrest of the 1960s, the patriarchal system and the all-boys network Chisholm was up against, many themes still present in the politics of today. Visuals and music establish the tenor of the times and create mental images of the economic, political and social upheavals in America from the 1930s to the early 1970s. The characters in this performance all have strong voices and valid points of view, but it’s Chisholm’s narrative that delivers the story’s message.

Tickets for the performance are $30 ($25 SAC members) at southamptonartscenter.org. Southampton Arts Center is at 25 Job’s Lane, Southampton.