SHIRLEY CHISHOLM
United States Representative U.S. CONGRESS
“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Years aft er her 2005 death, this vintage directive from the nation’s first African American congresswoman has become the clarion call for a generation of 21st-century businesswomen, many of whom were not yet even born when Chisholm became the first African American woman to seek a major party’s nomination for president of the United States. She was also the only female
tom-banner ampforwp-incontent-ad3">Despite opposition within her own party during her historic presidential run, she galvanized minorities, women, and students to join the “Chisholm Trail.” Resurrected as a feminist icon during Hillary Clinton’s failed 2008 presiden-tial campaign, Chisholm’s “unbought and unbossed” stance continues to resonate today.