Fifty years ago, there was only 1 woman of color in the U.S. Congress, and she was the very first. Shirley Chisholm, of New York City, was elected to Congress in a historic victory in 1968. A few years later, she made history again as the first black woman to run for president on a major party ticket. Declaring herself “unbossed and unbought,” she took on the political establishment as the candidate of “all the people.”

“So often nowadays, we hear people say that we should go back to Africa. Our roots are here. Our blood and our sweat and our tears are here. And we’re going to stay here and we’re going to fight.”