At the announcement of far-left Democrat, Senator Kamala Harris being chosen as the Vice President pick for Joe Biden some media mistakenly labeled her as “Back” or “African American” in an attempt to give her credibility.
CNN posted that” Kamama Harris is the first Black woman on a major party’s presidential ticket.”
Besides being the first Black woman on a major party's presidential ticket, Kamala Harris is also the first Indian American in that role. Her mother was born in Chennai and immigrated to the US to attend a doctoral program at UC Berkeley. https://t.co/caz9F9SmDe
— CNN (@CNN) August 12, 2020
But that is incorrect.
Kamala Harris is also the first Asian-American vice presidential nominee in history — which a lot of news organizations seem to be forgetting.
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) August 11, 2020
And there was a Black woman who was on the Democrat ticket for President:
Some in the media got it half right:
In 1972, Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman to seek a major-party presidential nomination. Nearly 50 years later, a Black woman will be on the presidential ticket as VP. #GenderLens2020 #Veepstakes pic.twitter.com/xuQ8zlDHpd
— Kelly Dittmar (@kdittmar) August 11, 2020
According to Chisholm’s Biography:
“The first African–American Congresswoman, Shirley Anita Chisholm represented a newly reapportioned U.S. House district centered in Brooklyn, New York. Elected in 1968 because of her roots in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood, Chisholm was catapulted into the national limelight by virtue of her race, gender, and outspoken personality. In 1972, in a largely symbolic undertaking, she campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination. But “Fighting Shirley” Chisholm’s frontal assault on many congressional traditions and her reputation as a crusader limited her influence as a legislator. “I am the people’s politician,” she once told the New York Times. “If the day should ever come when the people can’t save me, I’ll know I’m finished. That’s when I’ll go back to being a professional educator.”
"It is time that other peoples in America besides white males run for the highest office of this land." This was Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to run for America president in 1972. pic.twitter.com/jMcoa77JTv
— African Revolt (@Africarevolt) August 7, 2020
Chisholm declared her candidacy for the 1972 Democratic nomination for President, charging that none of the other candidates represented the interests of blacks and the inner–city poor.
She campaigned across the country and succeeded in getting her name on 12 primary ballots, becoming as well known outside her Brooklyn neighborhood as she was in it.
On a cold day in 72, Shirley Chisholm stood on a platform in a church in her district in Brooklyn and paved the way for @SenKamalaHarris as she declared her candidacy for the President of the United States. Now nearly 50 years later, we are realizing the fruits of her efforts. pic.twitter.com/WNvylIgjqu
— David C. Crowley (@DavidCrowleyWI) August 12, 2020
At the Democratic National Convention, Chrisholm received an impressive 152 delegate votes, or 10 percent of the total, a respectable showing given her modest funding.
Harris won zero delegates in her Primary race.
A 1974 Gallup Poll listed Chrisholm as one of the top 10 most–admired women in America—ahead of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Coretta Scott King and tied with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for sixth place
Let’s not forget the real trailblazers for some fake credibility to help a failing candidate.
