Born in New York City in 1924, Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, and in 1972, she became the first Black woman from a major political party to run for President. As an outspoken politician, educator, and activist, Chisholm fought for gender and racial equality, better wages for workers, and a more equal and just world. In 2015, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, who echoed the words Chisholm herself said she wanted to be remembered by: “Shirley Chisholm had guts.”

About the Narrator

Maya is a recent college graduate who began her Tiktok career during the quarantine lockdown in spring of 2020. As Maya started exploring more ways Tiktok could be used as a means of political change, she began writing witty raps about the former president, which eventually became the “Trump Freestyle” series. As her platform grew, she began making funny educational videos explaining a range of political topics from freedom of speech to how the impeachment process works. She has used her platform to encourage viewers to engage in politics not only through voting, but also by registering as poll workers, contacting their representatives, and even participating in civil disobedience movements like reserving tickets to Trump's June 2020 Tulsa rally. Maya has also received national press coverage this year surrounding her work feeding those in need around St. Louis using her unused university meal plan. In her free time Maya loves writing music and playing tennis. 

Credits

This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls and is based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This episode was produced by Camille Stennis. Sound design and mixing by Camille Stennis. This episode was written by Alexis Stratton and fact checked by Joe Rhatigan. Executive Producer is Katie Sprenger. Haley Dapkus is our Production Manager. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. A big thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team who make this show possible! For more, visit rebelgirls.com. And if you like what you heard, don’t forget to rate and review this episode, and share it with your friends! Until next time, stay REBEL!