Who was the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968?

Who was the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968?

• A. Barbara Jordan
• B. Condoleezza Rice
• C. Shirley Chisholm
• D. Kamala Harris

Answer: (C)

This item tests a milestone in Black women’s representation in Congress during the Civil Rights era. Shirley Chisholm, a Democrat from Brooklyn, was elected to the U.S. House in 1968 and took office in 1969 as the first Black woman to serve in Congress. Her election broke a major barrier and she used her platform to push for education, civil rights, and women’s rights. She also ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972, becoming a prominent trailblazer with the slogan “Unbought and Unbossed.” Barbara Jordan would later become the first Black woman from the South in the House (elected in 1972), so her milestone comes after Chisholm’s. Condoleezza Rice never served in Congress, and Kamala Harris is notable for becoming Vice President after serving in the Senate, not for being the first Black woman in Congress in 1968. So Shirley Chisholm is the correct figure for this 1968 milestone.

This item tests a milestone in Black women’s representation in Congress during the Civil Rights era. Shirley Chisholm, a Democrat from Brooklyn, was elected to the U.S. House in 1968 and took office in 1969 as the first Black woman to serve in Congress. Her election broke a major barrier and she used her platform to push for education, civil rights, and women’s rights. She also ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972, becoming a prominent trailblazer with the slogan “Unbought and Unbossed.”

Barbara Jordan would later become the first Black woman from the South in the House (elected in 1972), so her milestone comes after Chisholm’s. Condoleezza Rice never served in Congress, and Kamala Harris is notable for becoming Vice President after serving in the Senate, not for being the first Black woman in Congress in 1968. So Shirley Chisholm is the correct figure for this 1968 milestone.