"I stand before you today as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency of the United States. I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I'm not the candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am a woman, and I'm equally proud of that. I am not the candidate of any political bosses or fat cats or special interests... I am the candidate of the people..."

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Source: African-American and Female in One Candidate. Tell Me More with Michel Martin, www.npr.org. January 24, 2008.

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Shirley Chisholm

Politician, Educator

Shirley Chisholm was a pioneering politician and the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress, known for her advocacy for social justice and equality.

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Shirley Chisholm Politician, Educator

"When I die, I want to be remembered as a woman who lived in the twentieth century and who dared to be a catalyst of change. I don't want to be remembered as the first black woman who went to Congress. And I don't even want to be remembered as the first woman who happened to be black to make a bid for the Presidency I want to be remembered as a woman who fought for change in the twentieth century. That's what I want."

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