More than 50 years ago, Shirley Chisholm became the first woman of color to be a candidate for a major political party’s nomination for U.S. President. She was a pioneer and a visionary, believing that someone like Kamala Harris would eventually follow in her footsteps.
With that “someone” in mind, the Democratic congresswoman left a treasured photograph to remind and encourage a future presidential candidate.
The photo — entrusted to her friend Herman Hall, the publisher of the Caribbean American Everybody’s Magazine in 1982 — was taken during President Jimmy Carter’s administration at a White House leadership breakfast. Five-foot, 1-inch Chisholm can be seen shaking hands with Vice President Walter Mondale, who is next to Senator Daniel Inouye (who was the highest-ranking Asian-American politician at the time). And powerful Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill is sitting in the background.
Why was this photo so important to Chisholm?
“She was the only black person at that White House leadership breakfast. [The photo] was important to her because it showed a level of achievement — a Black woman still breaking barriers,” said Hall, who had come to Chisholm’s Brooklyn home to interview her about her announced her retirement from the Congress – stepping down after becoming the first Black woman in history to hold the position and becoming the first Black woman to run for President.
Hall was given specific instructions along with the photo. He said Chisholm told him, “Herman, one day you will find the right person to give it to.”
Hall believes “the right person” is Harris, noting that both women have Caribbean heritage. Harris has a Jamaican immigrant father and mother from India, while Chisholm’s mother was from Barbados and her father was born in the colony of British Guiana, before the independent nation of Guyana was founded.
As for the photo, Hall said “the day she [Harris] took the oath of office as vice president, I said I will give that picture to her. But it’s a small operation at Everybody’s Magazine and I never really followed up. Now that Harris is a presidential candidate, the time is right to give the photo to her. I’m sure that’s a picture Harris will really want to keep for symbolic reasons.”
Women in the trades
Nontraditional employment for women has been a rewarding, and ofttimes challenging venture, but recently New York State gave these workers some assistance — a $375,000 legislative grant to expand childcare access for New York City parents in the trades, easing the burden for working mothers in the maintenance, construction and utility trades.
And not surprisingly, Leah Rambo, president of Nontraditional Employment for Women, was present at the June announcement.
Rambo is a staunch, longtime advocate for the women working in the skilled trades. Sadly, women are greatly underrepresented in trade employment, and account for just 7% of the field. But there are efforts to increase those numbers. Rambo’s 46-year-old nonprofit NEW organization trains and places women in trade fields.
She began her career in the trades fields as an apprentice in New York’s Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 28, covering the five boroughs along with Nassau and Suffolk counties.
“This initiative not only helps parents secure reliable and affordable childcare, but also ensures that careers in the trades remain accessible and sustainable for everyone,” she continued. For information on Rambo’s Nontraditional Employment for Women organization, visit www.new-nyc.org.
