Shirley
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Shirley Chisholm makes a trailblazing run for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination after becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress.
Shirley Chisholm makes a trailblazing run for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination after becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress.
117 minutes ‧ PG-13 ‧ 2024. Peyton Robinson. March 22, 2024. 3 min read. John Ridley’s “Shirley” examines the 1972 presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm (Regina King), the first Black woman to be elected to Congress, and the first woman to campaign for the Democratic nomination for President. Across the timeline of her run for office, “Shirley” depicts Chisholm’s fierceness against the misogynoir that looked to suppress her efforts and honors the grit of her determination to be a trailblazer and symbol of political hope.
Shirley tells the story of the first Black congresswoman and political icon, Shirley Chisholm (Regina King), and her trailblazing 1972 run for president of the United States.As a character study, it repeatedly points out contradictions in Chisholm that it refuses to interrogate for fear it will come off as critical. The result is a hagiography with some obvious holes, something that a better film might try to balance.
