Shirley Chisholm, the political trailblazer and daughter of Caribbean immigrants who died in 2005, is making news — with a plan to erect a New York City statue in her honor and Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis picked to portray the history-making Brooklyn politician in a film.
All the victorious women headed into Washington after winning in last month’s midterm elections owe some thanks to Chisholm — the first black woman elected to Congress and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. She was born in Brooklyn. Her mother hailed from Barbados and her father was born in colonial British Guiana, which became the nation of Guyana
“Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s legacy of leadership and activism has paved the way for thousands of women to seek public office,” city First Lady Chirlane McCray said, noting that a sculptor will be selected as part of the She Built NYC project to create more statues of women. The statue will be erected in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in 2020.
The Associated Press reported that “The Fighting Shirley Chisholm,” starring Davis, will be directed by Maggie Betts for Amazon Studios. The screenplay comes from “Silicon Valley” writer Adam Countee. The Hollywood website Deadline broke the news about the film..
Article Source: https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-metro-caribbeat-shirley-chisholm-20181201-story.html
