Shirley Chisholm

I must say, yesterday I forgot to blog about the AMAZINGLY inspiring, Shirley Chisholm. I too, want to be forever remembered as a catalyst for change. I think her simple and to-the-point quotes are so shockingly fresh.

I projected a quote from her "Tremendous amounts of talent are being lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt." And some of my students, with just as much tenacity as Chisholm herself, interpreted that quote in such a way that I wanted to cry.

Working with this beautiful curriculum, that Sunny put together, has really rejuvenated my activist spirit. I just can't express myself clearly enough in this blog. I feel like I am becoming the woman I have always dreamed about becoming. Going to NLO, and meeting women just like myself, renews my feminism and my love for women and politics on an hourly basis. I never knew how much I needed my own grit until recently. I never knew that teaching my students about phenomenal women would make me feel so proud of myself and so worthy.

At the end of the day I thank fate for pushing me to go to NLO, because if I hadn't gone I would have never felt so connected to myself and to my dreams and goals of raising awareness on women's rights. I would have never gotten the curriculum to teach my students about the trailblazing women from Oregon, and especially Shirley Chisholm.

Watching that footage from her 1972 campaign gives me goosebumps every time. She is the epitome of beauty. Her reasons for running for president were genius. Her words were so powerful, that when she spoke I couldn't tear myself away. Chisholm is a woman that I will never forget in my entire life. She is the reason that I feel confident in teaching my students about women's suffrage. She is the reason I look forward to hearing the whining about "learning about women" from my students. Because I can reply honestly, to my students, that what they are learning is important.

One student left my classroom the other day and thanked me for teaching because of my enthusiasm. I was touched, but I realized too, that I was excited to teach because the next day was Shirley Chisholm day.

I will leave you again readers, but this time with a quote that is more powerful than any other I have read in a long time.

"I am, was, and always be a catalyst for change." Shirley Chisholm