History

Notable Alumni

Shirley A. Chisholm

Shirley A. Chisholm (1924–2005) broke conventions and wrote history as the first black woman elected to the United States Congress in 1968. Throughout her long career in public service, including 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Chisholm looked out for those whom the government traditionally overlooked and neglected. In 1970, Congresswoman Chisholm worried about minorities being under-represented in the census and pinned on an enumerator's badge to help enumerate parts of Brooklyn, showing that the census could benefit communities simply by counting them. Learn more about the 1970 Census and concerns about an undercount here.