Shirley Chisholm in Her Own Words

Join us for a discussion celebrating Dr. Zinga A. Fraser's new book Shirley Chisholm in Her Own Words.  The collection of speeches and writings highlights Chisholm’s contributions to politics, feminism and activism, Dr. Fraser will be in conversation with Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin to discuss how Chisholm’s trailblazing legacy and intellectualism continues to influence movements for racial and gender justice today.

Co-presented by The Shirley Chisholm Project and Columbia University's African American and African Diaspora Studies Department, Institute for Research in African American Studies, and Institute for Social and Economic Research & Policy.
 
 

About the Speakers:
Dr. Zinga A. Fraser is an author, lecturer, historical consultant and philanthropist.  She is the Director of the Shirley Chisholm Project on Brooklyn Women’s Activism. Most recently she served as the historical consultant on the Netflix feature “Shirley,” written and Directed by John Ridley and starred and produced by Regina King. Dr. Fraser is currently an Assistant Professor in the Africana Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at Brooklyn College. Dr. Fraser is a foremost expert on Shirley Chisholm and Black Congressional Women and Black feminist politics. Her book Shirley Chisholm in Her Own Words: Speeches and Writings (2024) was published by the University of California Press and she is currently completing her book manuscript titled, Sister Insider/ Sister Outsider: Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan, Black Women’s Politics in the Post- Civil Rights Era. 

Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin is the William B. Ransford Professor of English, Comparative Literature, and African-American Studies at Columbia University, where she also chaired the African American and African Diaspora Studies Department (2019-2021). A 2021 Guggenheim Fellow and program director for The Schomburg Center's Scholars-in-Residence Program, she has written extensively on race, gender, feminism, and cultural politics. Some of her notable books include Who Set You Flowin'?, Harlem Nocturne along with several other titles as author and co-author. Griffin has collaborated on theater projects that premiered at the Apollo Theater and Kennedy Center. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Harper's Bazaar. She is a frequent radio commentator on political and cultural issues, focusing her activism on education, poverty, and gender equity. Currently, she serves on the board of The Brotherhood/Sister Sol, supporting youth in Central Harlem.

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