Shirley Chisolm has died.

[seriousstan]

no link yet

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/10551633.htm?1c

[NMDemDist2]

1. oh no

oh no


crap


:cry:

[barb162]

36. my first thought too; a great woman!

[Seabiscuit]

39. Oh, NO, NO, NO!!!

We needed people like her.

:cry:

[ClassWarrior]

2. She was a favorite of my mother's.

Both supreme individuals. I mourn Ms. Chisolm's passing.

NGU.

[Solly Mack]

3. I loved that lady

Since I was a young child, I have loved that lady.

I've been dreading that headline for years now.

I'm in tears.

edit: dammit, I can't type for the tears

[Not_Giving_Up]

4. Where did you hear this?

[kainah]

5. Matsui & Chisolm in one day

It is getting harder and harder to keep my heart intact. Rest, Shirley. You did us all proud. We will miss you enormously.

[Not_Giving_Up]

13. Thanks for the link

RIP

[0007]

55. Wow! You got that right. What's going on?

RIP

[medeak]

6. link

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/10551633.htm

[seriousstan]

10. Thanks, I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your link.

I couldn't find any at all. Thanks again.

[Moderator]

16. AP Link

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Obit%20Chisholm

[ClassWarrior]

19. "Shirley Chisholm had guts."

Fitting epitaph.

NGU.

[benburch]

7. Brief bio.

http://nh.essortment.com/shirleychisholm_ruol.htm

[Prodemsouth]

8. Damn...I was starting to get in a better mood.. this is shit.. I remember

reading about her the in Weekly Reader when I was in the 4th grade when she was running for President in 72. Why can't right wingers die sooner...the more you hate the longer you live.. look at Strom Thurmond.

[flygal]

42. My brother works in an E.R.

and he says all the time "shit lives"

[piece sine]

57. you can expect to be quoted

with DU so much in the news these days, look for site visitors to tear us a new one over those at DU who moan 'Why can't right wingers die sooner?" as a typical lefty response to Shirley Chisolm's regretable passing. Thanks!

[Prodemsouth]

71. Then throw Ann coulter back in their face.. I don't care like they aren't

going to get mad at anything we do.

[UltraDem]

74. I'd have to agree there...

It's one thing to disagree with our perspective. It's another entirely to wish *anyone* dead. I'd be completely embarassed to be associate with such a remark. Thanks.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

61. Ain't that the truth..look at how long Reagan lived

[RoeBear]

65. What an awful way to honor her memory...

...you start out with a nice tribute to Ms Chisholm and then desend into darkness.

[Prodemsouth]

70. I don't like right winger leaders and wish they would die sooner I am

not sorry.

[UltraDem]

75. That's just plain wrong...

Wishing people dead is completely evil. I know Ms. Chisolm would certainly be disgusted.

[newyorican]

9. RIP

:(

[Annus Horribilis]

11. What a horrible day

First Matsui and now Chisolm.

*Sigh*

[journalist3072]

12. Shirley Chisolm

God bless her and thank her for her service to this country.

[Maat]

15. Rest in peace, Shirley.

You were such a role model for women - ALL women.

[SW FL Dem]

14. This is definitely a sad day for Democrats :(. n/t

[ruggerson]

17. She loomed large in my political childhood

From the perspective of a 12 year old, I thought she was amazing. I loved listening to her talk. What a truly great human being.

[Ellen Forradalom]

22. She was, and is, a heroine to me.

She woulda made a helluva President, too!

[n2mark]

18. I just heard this on KGO

she was such a great lady.

[n2mark]

20. What a lose for women and the Democratic Party!

We keep losing the greatest and those who are not afraid to fight for us! I'm frustrated tonight. There is no one left in our party who are willing to fight for Democracy. No one! There is not anyone anywhere who is willing to stand up to the shrub, he has decapitated everyone. Dean will do this but we will need to support him without any negative. Dean is our only hope. I wasn't always for Dean, but he is correct in his thinking. I think we either support Dean or leave the party. We also need to let the DNC, the congress and senators know this too.

[Old and In the Way]

21. RIP Ms. Chisolm and Rep. Matsui....thanks for the inspiration and

hard work to make this a better country...

[Straight Shooter]

23. Farewell, Shirley, you lived your life with passion and commitment.

You honored us all. We'll miss you.

[tabasco]

27. She will remain alive in our hearts!

Shirley is an inspiration for all of us. Her spirit will help us overcome the forces of tyranny !

[ISUGRADIA]

24. an item when she was running for president in '72

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050103/ap_on_re_us/obit_chisholm

She ran for the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 1972. When rival candidate and ideological opposite George Wallace was shot, she visited him in the hospital - an act that appalled her followers.

"He said, `What are your people going to say?' I said: `I know what they're going to say. But I wouldn't want what happened to you to happen to anyone.' He cried and cried," she recalled.

....

Now that is truly living up to the What Would Jesus Do ideaRIP

[LoZoccolo]

30. We would find great reward in following her example.

And when she needed support to extend the minimum wage to domestic workers two years later, it was Wallace who got her the votes from Southern members of Congress.

A lesson to all those in the torment-the-red-states camp.

[tabasco]

25. A GREAT American !

I will hold her in the deepest respect until the day I die.

Thank you Shirley!!

[Fiona]

26. how sad

what a great woman.

[Sleepless In NY]

28. New York has lost a Great Lady

She did us all proud. An amazing woman who always had the courage of her convictions. She accomplished so much, especially for women and children.

One of my favorite of her quotes was: "My greatest political asset, which professional politicians fear, is my mouth, out of which come all kinds of things one shouldn't always discuss for reasons of political expediency,"

Wish some of our present democratic leadership would follow her example.

Shirley Chisholm, We thank you, we will always remember & honor you. You will be missed.

[FredScuttle]

29. Whenever I feel blue

and think I have it bad, I make sure to give some thought to people like Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan and what they had to endure in their fight for equality and social justice. They fought to make our lives better and we are all indebted to them. My life is blessed in so many ways because there was a Shirley Chisholm standing up for folks like me.

May you finally be at rest, Shirley, and thank you.

[catzies]

66. That's a beautiful thought and I echo the sentiments. Well said.

I too looked up Ms. Chisholm and Ms. Jordan as a young girl. They were to me the promise of America.

Thank you, Shirley Chisholm and may you rest in peace. :cry:

[Freddie Stubbs]

31. Wow. I never knew that Conyers ran for majority leader

Newly elected, she was assigned to the House Agriculture Committee, which she felt was irrelevant to her urban constituency. In an unheard of move, she demanded reassignment and got switched to the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Not long afterward she voted for Hale Boggs, who was white, over John Conyers, who was black, for majority leader. Boggs rewarded her with a place on the prized Education and Labor Committee and she was its third ranking member when she left.

more: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/10551633.htm?1c

Oh course that happened before I was born. Although I did know that Boggs is Cokie Roberts' father.

[burrowowl]

32. A Great Lady

May she rest in peace.

[OneBlueSky]

33. there was a time not so long ago when the Democratic Party . . .

had women and men of vision and courage in leadership positions . . . Shirley Chisholm was one of them . . . she and Barbara Jordan were always two of my favorite Dem leaders back in the days when the Dems had leaders . . . she will be missed . . . RIP . . .

[eSTIV]

34. Pioneer

I remember her. Probably one of the best congresspersons ever to represent NY.

Farewell Sister C.

say hello to Bella Abzug!

[NoQuarter]

68. AND Ms. Jordan

n/t

[Toucano]

35. The joy just keeps coming, doesn't it?

This is not a good way to start the New Year.


Thank you Ms. Chisolm. You will always be an inspiration.

[foo_bar]

37. tis the season

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=574

Respiratory and circulatory diseases are responsible for most of the increase seen during the winter months. Influenza is often implicated in winter mortality as it can lead to bronchitis and pneumonia, especially in the elderly, although relatively few deaths are attributed to influenza itself.

[Wilms]

38. Well then, now it's "spiritual inheritance" time, everybody.

Time to thank her once more. And time to be in awe of another of this nation's great men and women of the most varied backgrounds who've arrived in times of need to aid in our evolution and redemption.

It's really quite amazing! O8)

On edit: The following was posted earlier by EuroObserver:

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x224133>

[sherilocks]

40. Shirley Chisolm lived nearby for many years

I was fortunate to be able to hear her speak many times in her later years. She remained an amazing woman, as well as a voice of reason, right up to the end of her days. I will miss her.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBIT_CHISHOLM?SITE=FLDAY&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

<snip>

Once discussing what her legacy might be, Chisholm commented, "I'd like them to say that Shirley Chisholm had guts. That's how I'd like to be remembered."

<snip>

[Piperay]

41. I loved Shirley Chisolm

the World is a darker place with her not in it. :cry:

[lebkuchen]

43. A cut to the chase kind of leader

I wish Diane Feinstein were more like her.

[MaineDem]

44. Shirley and Barbara Jordan were two of my role models

Now they're both gone.

RIP, Shirley. Condolences to her family.

[malaise]

45. RIP Shirley

She was the first 'Caribbean' rep in the US. Her mum was from Barbados and her dad from Guyana. I have her book - Unbought and Unbossed. Great woman.

[readmylips]

56. Loved those two strong women; Shirley and Barbara...

Democrats love powerful women instead of those stepford hacks.

[Crunchy Frog]

46. I'm very saddened by this.

I admit to not knowing a whole lot about her, but she was the first Presidential candidate that I ever supported, back in 1972 when I was nine. I didn't yet understand the realities of American politics and it seemed quite plausible to me at the time that she could be elected.

May she rest in peace, and I hope she's in a better place than this world is becoming.

[Sparkly]

47. Very sad news to wake up to.

:cry:

[malaise]

48. Shirley's Bio

http://nh.essortment.com/shirleychisholm_ruol.htm

Shirley St. Hill Chisholm was born on November 30, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York to Charles and Ruby St. Hill. Her father was from British Guiana and her mother was from Barbados. In 1927, Shirley was sent to Barbados to live with her maternal grandmother. She received a good education from the British school system, which she later credited with providing her with a strong academic background.

In 1934, she rejoined her parents in New York. Shirley excelled in academics at Girls High School in Brooklyn from which she graduated in 1942. After graduation she enrolled in Brooklyn College where she majored in sociology. Shirley encountered racism at Brooklyn College and fought against it. When the black students at Brooklyn College were denied admittance to a social club, Shirley formed an alternative one. She graduated in 1946 with honors. During this time, it was difficult for black college graduates to obtain employment comparable to their education. After being rejected by many companies, she obtained a job at the Mt. Calvary Childcare Center in Harlem.

[Brundle_Fly]

49. Imus in the Morning

Unbelievable, the bald asshole was making fun of her...

her name her politics, he even called her "fugly"

what a world.

[Tsiyu]

50. May this brave woman rest in peace

You had guts, Shirley
They don't make many like you :yourock:

[Historic NY]

51. Great lady.....my aunt was a delegate way back then

http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/03/obit.chisholm.ap/index.html

and being from NY she was taken with her fight for the ERA admendment. Funny I still find my aunts notes from the convention, she was very precise in her Democratic political activities.

One of her greatest speeches.........

Equal Rights for Women
Address to U.S. House of Representatives
by Shirley Chisholm
May 21, 1969
Washington, D.C.
Mr.Speaker, when a young woman graduates from college and starts looking for a job, she is likely to have a frustrating and even demeaning experience ahead of her. If she walks into an office for an interview, the first question she will be asked is, "Do you type?''

There is a calculated system of prejudice that lies unspoken behind that question. Why is it acceptable for women to be secretaries, librarians, and teachers, but totally unacceptable for them to be managers, administrators, doctors, lawyers, and Members of Congress. The unspoken assumption is that women are different. They do not have executive ability orderly minds, stability, leadership skills, and they are too emotional.

It has been observed before, that society for a long time, discriminated against another minority, the blacks, on the same basis - that they were different and inferior. The happy little homemaker and the contented "old darkey" on the plantation were both produced by prejudice.

As a black person, I am no stranger to race prejudice. But the truth is that in the political world I have been far oftener discriminated against because I am a woman than because I am black.

Prejudice against blacks is becoming unacceptable although it will take years to eliminate it. But it is doomed because, slowly, white America is beginning to admit that it exists. Prejudice against women is still acceptable. There is very little understanding yet of the immorality involved in double pay scales and the classification of most of the better jobs as "for men only."

More than half of the population of the United States is female. But women occupy only 2 percent of the managerial positions. They have not even reached the level of tokenism yet No women sit on the AFL-CIO council or Supreme Court There have been only two women who have held Cabinet rank, and at present there are none. Only two women now hold ambassadorial rank in the diplomatic corps. In Congress, we are down to one Senator and 10 Representatives.

Considering that there are about 3 1/2 million more women in the United States than men, this situation is outrageous.

It is true that part of the problem has been that women have not been aggressive in demanding their rights. This was also true of the black population for many years. They submitted to oppression and even cooperated with it. Women have done the same thing. But now there is an awareness of this situation particularly among the younger segment of the population.

As in the field of equal rights for blacks, Spanish-Americans, the Indians, and other groups, laws will not change such deep-seated problems overnight But they can be used to provide protection for those who are most abused, and to begin the process of evolutionary change by compelling the insensitive majority to reexamine it's unconscious attitudes.

It is for this reason that I wish to introduce today a proposal that has been before every Congress for the last 40 years and that sooner or later must become part of the basic law of the land -- the equal rights amendment.

Let me note and try to refute two of the commonest arguments that are offered against this amendment. One is that women are already protected under the law and do not need legislation. Existing laws are not adequate to secure equal rights for women. Sufficient proof of this is the concentration of women in lower paying, menial, unrewarding jobs and their incredible scarcity in the upper level jobs. If women are already equal, why is it such an event whenever one happens to be elected to Congress?

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.

A second argument often heard against the equal rights amendment is that is would eliminate legislation that many States and the Federal Government have enacted giving special protection to women and that it would throw the marriage and divorce laws into chaos.

As for the marriage laws, they are due for a sweeping reform, and an excellent beginning would be to wipe the existing ones off the books. Regarding special protection for working women, I cannot understand why it should be needed. Women need no protection that men do not need. What we need are laws to protect working people, to guarantee them fair pay, safe working conditions, protection against sickness and layoffs, and provision for dignified, comfortable retirement. Men and women need these things equally. That one sex needs protection more than the other is a male supremacist myth as ridiculous and unworthy of respect as the white supremacist myths that society is trying to cure itself of at this time.

http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/shirley_chisholm_women.html

[joeybee12]

52. Very, very sad news indeed...

...I feel like someone has hit me in the gut.

Rest in Peace, Shirley. You made the world a better place.

[arwalden]

53. Farewell Shirley! Thanks For Everything!!

We love ya!

[lavendermist]

54. I admired her greatly. n/t

[troubleinwinter]

58. I voted for her in the Presidential Primary, the first time I voted.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

59. She spoke at my undergraduate college shortly after

being elected to Congress.

I'll never forget her telling of how she demanded to be reassigned from the Forestry Subcommittee of the Agriculture Committee. Her comment about being reassigned to the Veterans Affairs Committee was, "I went to Congress to serve the people of Bedford-Stuyvesant, and although Veterans Affairs wasn't my first choice, at least there are more veterans in Bed-Stuy than forests!"

[oneold1-4u]

60. Not a word is heard-yet-

As one of the greatest states-persons in this nation it seems odd that the president is once again very slow in voicing anything. Just a word of respect? She is/was so far above the ordinary politician that hopefully in her remembrance, someone, perhaps another woman, will step out and lead.

[upperleftedge]

62. A quote;

Donna Brazile was mentored by Ms. Chisholm and said in an e-mail today;
"Shirley was a graceful warrior who understood where society wanted her to sit and stood up until they found her a better place."

[NewYorkerfromMass]

63. NYTimes obit

Love the pic they chose

This woman was a brilliant politician:

...She mentioned her hospital visit to George C. Wallace, the Alabama governor who built his political career on segregation, after he had been wounded in an assassination attempt in 1972.

"Black people in my community crucified me," she recalled. "But why shouldn't I go to visit him? Every other presidential candidate was going to see him. He said to me, 'What are your people going to say?' I said: 'I know what they're going to say. But I wouldn't want what happened to you to happen to anyone.' He cried and cried and cried."

She maintained that her visit had paid off. "He always spoke well of Shirley Chisholm in the South," she said, adding that she had contacted him in 1974, when she was looking for votes for a bill to extend federal minimum-wage provisions to domestic workers. "Many of the Southerners did not want to make the vote. They came around."...

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/03/obituaries/03chisholm.html?ei=5094&en=9bb0e9a778b4e5e5&hp=&ex=1104814800&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print&position=

[katinmn]

64. A terrible loss. My dad always said she was the smartest and

most honest of all the elected ones and should have been president.

And this was in northeastern Minnesota in a town with 5,000 people.

Shirley Chisholm had a deep connection with people across this country, but only among those who paid attention. I will miss her.

I hope our current leaders take some inspiration from her and stand up for democracy.

[ewagner]

67. RIP Shirley

You inspired us in dark times......

You have earned your rest....... :cry:

[NJCher]

69. Shirley showed me the possibilities

I had never been too excited about politics as I grew up. Shirley changed all that for me.

Fond farewell...


Cher

[Rhiannon12866]

72. My father met Shirley Chisholm

This was years ago, probably back in the '60s, when the Chamber of Commerce, or some organization like that that he belonged to, took a group of visiting notables for a day at Saratoga Racetrack. My dad was probably the youngest in his group, and he was assigned to escort Shirley Chisholm. He wasn't very impressed to be spending the day with a homely little woman who he had never heard of, with a speech impediment, besides. She sure changed his opinion, LOL! He said that she was one of the most charming, well-spoken and intelligent people he'd ever met, and he knew a lot of people, with a sense of humor, besides. He always spoke most glowingly of her, and was a life-long admirer, and my dad was a Republican!:-)

[njdemocrat106]

73. Rest in Peace

We lost a great American who broke many boundaries. We definitely could use more people like her in this country.
God rest her soul.