‘Unbought and unbossed’: Ceremony at refurbished Shirley Chisholm Building marks centennial of first Black woman in Congress

December 2, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

The rededication highlighted repairs made to the exterior facade, updated lettering, new decals in the elevator lobby and a renovated atrium. At a later date, a plaque will be installed to commemorate the rededication. Photo courtesy of Rep. Jeffries.

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DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — SHIRLEY CHISHOLM, THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN to serve in Congress, was given a double honor recently in time for the centennial of her birth. U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-08), the House Democratic Leader, along with the state Office of General Services, celebrated the rededication and refurbishment of the Shirley A. Chisholm State Office Building in Downtown Brooklyn and commemorated the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late Rep. Chisholm, which falls on Saturday, Nov. 30.

Jeffries represents New York’s Eighth Congressional District, which includes much of the same area that Chisholm represented during her time in Congress. Elected in 1968, she served 12 terms from 1969-1982 in what was then the 12th Congressional District, centered in Bedford-Stuyvesant. A Brooklyn native, Chisholm had excelled in debate and graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College.

In her unprecedented run for president of the United States

while she was the first Black Congresswoman ever elected

to the House, she used the slogan “Unbought and unbossed.”

It was also the title of a book she later wrote.

While serving in the state Assembly, Jeffries worked with state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery, leading the passage in 2009 of Assembly Bill A5365, which renamed 55 Hanson Place after Rep. Chisholm, in part to prevent its sale to developers. In preparation for the centennial, the building has received repairs to the exterior facade, updated lettering, new decals in the elevator lobby and a renovated atrium.

Moreover, the City Council on Nov. 19 passed a resolution to declare Nov. 30 as Shirley Chisholm Day. Councilmember Crystal Hudson (D-35), who represents the Fort Greene area, said at Wednesday’s ceremony, “I am proud to call the Shirley Chisholm Office Building the center of District 35’s operations.”