Washington, DC - June 22, 2006--Congressman Ed Towns and the Shirley Chisholm Cultural Institute for Children, Inc. will host the unveiling of a portrait of former Congresswoman Shirley A. Chisholm at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, New York.  The event will be held on Monday, June 26, 2006 at 5:30 p.m.

The portrait, which is a gift to the City of New York, will hang in Brooklyn Borough Hall next to President George Washington for the next 200 years.   The Shirley Chisholm Cultural Institute for Children, Inc., a non-profit organization formed in 1970, commissioned the legendary Brooklyn artist, Al Johnson, to paint the portrait.

"This is a great day for Brooklyn in that the portrait of the first African-American woman to serve in the United States Congress will hang in Brooklyn Borough Hall," said Congressman Towns, an advisor to the Institute.  "This portrait will serve as a reminder to everyone that visits this great institution that the first African American woman in Congress represented a district in Brooklyn. 

"Shirley was a trailblazer who opened the doors of opportunity for generations of women and minority politicians," Congressman Towns continued.  "The hanging of Shirley's portrait in Brooklyn Borough Hall is a deserving acknowledgment to one of New York's finest public servants."

Shirley Anita Chisholm was a New York icon and committed public servant.  She was born in Brooklyn, on November 30, 1924, attended Brooklyn College, and earned a Master's degree from Columbia University.

Mrs. Chisholm was the first African American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1968) and the first African American to seriously run for President of the United States (1972).  The 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami was the first major convention in which any woman was considered for the presidential nomination. Although she did not win the nomination, she received 151 of the delegates' votes.
 
During her congressional career, Mrs. Chisholm served on the House Education and Labor, Veterans Affairs and Rules Committees, where she passionately advocated for the rights of women, children, minorities, veterans, Haitian refugees and day laborers. Mrs. Chisholm stood in staunch opposition to the Vietnam War and she was unmatched as a voice for social justice.

Mrs. Chisholm was a founding member of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues and the Congressional Black Caucus.  She was an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), founder of the Unity Democratic Club, and a Representative in the New York State Assembly (1964-68).  Mrs. Chisholm continued to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives until 1982. She retired from politics after her last term in office.

Mrs. Chisholm has received many honorary degrees, and her awards include Alumna of the Year, Brooklyn College; Key Woman of the Year; Outstanding Work in the Field of Child Welfare; and Woman of Achievement. Shirley Chisholm passed away on January 1, 2005.

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