“Well, it’s long overdue but it’s the most wonderful feeling,” remarked Shirley Chisholm when asked by a reporter how it felt to be the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. The pioneering politician, born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Barbados by her grandmother, was both the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination and the first Black candidate from either major party to run for President of the United States. Though she was unsuccessful, her candidacy and ardent civil rights politics have left a lasting impact on American politics.
Chisholm’s life and career will be the focus of an upcoming musical presented by Leeds Studio at the Southbank Centre‘s Queen Elizabeth Hall. Chisholm for President! – for now: a one-night-only event, showing on Saturday 13 April – is powered by a score evocative of 1970s funk and soul. The production also boasts “legendary musicians from the UK funk and soul scene.” Music and lyrics are written by acclaimed writer and composer Testament (Black Men Walking, Royal Court, Orpheus in the Record Shop, Opera North/BBC), with text by award-winning playwright Zodwa Nyoni (Darkest Part of The Night, Boi Boi is Dead).
