As the first African-American woman elected to the US Congress, Shirley Chisholm is a passionate and effective advocate for the needs of all minority groups including women and children, particularly the poor.  She has helped to break the "glass ceiling" of expectations for the capabilities of those groups. Speaking before the House of Representatives in 1969, she attemped to shed light on the discriminatory practices that were being perpetrated on minority groups by society.

To quote from that speech, "It is obvious that discrimination exists. Women do not have the opportunities that men do. And women that do not conform to the system, who try to break with the accepted patterns, are stigmatized as ''odd'' and "unfeminine." The fact is that a woman who aspires to be chairman of the board, or a Member of the House, does so for exactly the same reasons as any man. Basically, these are that she thinks she can do the job and she wants to try." She was able to pinpoint, with great accuracy, the images that society had been forcing women to wear: feminine, frail, acceptable and submissive.

Today, Ms. Chisholm continues to remain active. She is an acclaimed author, Unbossed and Unbought and The Good Fight, as well as being a revered stateswoman.

Ms. Chisholm has a stern, determined gaze about her. She does not have a flashy wardrobe, nor does her posture speak of anything other than absolute resolve. She appears to be on the offensive, although we are unable to get a clear mental picture of what her true composition is.