“…bring a folding chair.”
While we certainly may celebrate them all year long, Black History Month gives us a chance to focus on some people who deserve our praise and honor.
For this post we honor:
Shirley Chisholm
1924-2005
Shirley Chisholm was a leader who was known for her trailblazing courage, her guts, and her call to action!
“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”
- Shirley Chisholm
Shirley was an American politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969 to 1983.
She was a staunch advocate for human rights.
“In the end, anti-black, anti-female, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to anti-humanism.”
— Shirley Chisholm
She was also the first Black woman elected to Congress.
And the first Black woman to seek the presidential nomination of a major political party.
Guided by a moral vision shaped in childhood by faith, family, and community, Shirley developed a lifelong commitment to human dignity.
As such, she was a champion of civil rights, gender equality, education, and democratic participation.
In Congress, she used her knowledge and background to introduce more than 50 pieces of legislation focused on the needs of women, children, immigrants, those with low income, and people of color.
And she called on people not only to hope for change, but to take responsibility for it.
In Shirley Chisholm’s honor, the exhibit below was sponsored in 2019 by The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate:
A SEAT AT THE TABLE
An exhibit inspired by Congresswoman
Shirley Chisholm’s words and work toward
creating a more inclusive democracy.
Students in the Boston area were drawn to Shirley’s bold action words, which formed a phrase that has since served as a mantra and rallying cry for many Americans.
The students’ interest not only inspired “A Seat at the Table,” but the exhibit, in turn, inspired organizations in the community and professional artists nationwide to participate in it by creating chairs of their own.
A SEAT AT THE TABLE
https://www.bringyourownchair.org/about-shirley-chisholm/
The exhibit was a demonstration of how Congresswoman Chisholm stepped up, claimed her seat at the table of public discourse, and made a difference by representing a wide range of people and issues.
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
OCTOBER 2018
The first phase of the “A Seat at the Table” exhibit opened.
APRIL 2019
In the second phase, the exhibit began featuring chairs that were created by community groups and individuals during Institute-hosted workshops at schools, community organizations, libraries, and social justice offices.
The chair-makers creatively showed their thoughts on identity, values, and the social issues that needed to be addressed at inclusive tables of power.
To showcase as many chairs as possible, the Institute rotated featured chairs throughout 2019.
CHAIR OF THE MONTH
JUNE 2019
The last phase of the “A Seat at the Table” physical exhibit opened on June 12, 2019.
The exhibit evolved to include twenty artist-created chairs that represented the stories of both historic and contemporary trailblazers who found their own seats at the table.
MAKE A CHAIR
Do you, your classroom, or your group want to make your own chair?
The Edward M. Kennedy Institute project offers many resources that lead you through the activity!
https://www.bringyourownchair.org/resources/
Your seat is your identity and what you care about. The table is where decisions are made.
Bring your seat to the table.
THE GOALS OF “A SEAT AT THE TABLE” PROJECTS:
To provide a unique entry point for young people to examine the value of identity, voice, and lived experience in civic spaces.
To welcome students and community members to create artistic and written reflections about representation.
To make a collective statement about representation, power, and social change.
While the exhibit appears to no longer be up at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, if you do wish to take on this project in your own private circle, click here for a lesson plan, discussion guide, poster, and paper chair templates.
Or copy and paste the URL below into a browser, such as Chrome, Safari, etc.
The “A Seat at the Table” exhibit was made possible by the generous support of the Fund II Foundation.
The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, a non-profit organization located at 210 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA, is dedicated to educating the public about the important role of the Senate in our government, encouraging participatory democracy, invigorating civil discourse, and inspiring the next generation of citizens and leaders to engage in the civic life of their communities.
SUGGESTED RESOURCE: The 2024 film Shirley is a Netflix biographical drama starring Regina King as Shirley Chisholm, and focusing on her groundbreaking 1972 presidential campaign.
Thank you to Michael Andersson for highly recommending this film.
IN YOUR OWN WORDS:
Previous Post: “OUR FATHER?” Written by Anne Andersson January 15, 2025
—I really enjoyed reading this piece. I learned quite a bit. Within recent years I’ve begun to alternate saying “Father” and “Mother” when I pray the Nicene Creed. Peace, Jim
—Great post! Good food for thought! —CA
—If you are taking a survey, I prefer the title parent. Not everyone has experienced the love of a father or mother. Does English have a better word than parent?—RE
—I liked your blog & honored to have your picture! Remember, the Jehovahs base their belief about their kingdom from that prayer: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” I think I will start my prayers every night with “Our Mother” from now on!! —LC
—I really enjoyed reading this post. I remember taking an important class at Georgetown. It was a freshman year requirement and it was called “The Problem of God” and in the class we read lots of theological arguments both for and against the existence of a Supreme Being. What I still remember learning to this day is that the essence of God is truly inconceivable to the human mind, and we rely on knowing God through our faith. So I have never really liked the description of God as a father figure. I think the human mind can conceive at a greater sort of like a parent because that’s what we know in our experience. But the true essence of God may not be able to be named with our limited vocabulary. So calling Him our Father is just sort of symbolic. Anyway that’s my opinion. I may be wrong but I think faith is also very personal! Thank you for all the work you do to keep CWED alive! Love, Sarah P. 😊
Remember the Epstein survivors!
BREAKING NEWS!
A proposal was just introduced this week on Tuesday February 10, 2026.
Virginia’s Law
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez announced the proposal.
Epstein victims and Virginia Giuffre's family stood alongside them.
The proposal is named after Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein's most prominent accusers.
Virgina died by suicide last year.
She shared her story in her recently published book:
Nobody’s Girl
A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice
Alfred A. Knopf, Publisher, New York 2025
Virginia’s brother Skye Roberts said: “Virginia’s dream was to inspire and empower survivors to come forward in a world that too often turns away from abuse and pushes it into the shadows. She wanted to bring light.”
Skye’s wife Amanda said that Virginia’s most fervent wish was this:
That the Statute of Limitations for reporting these types of sex crimes be lifted.
Why?
The New York State Unified Court describes these laws:
Statutes of Limitations are laws which say how long, after certain events, a case may be started based on those events. If the statute of limitations has run out, a case should not be started in court.
The court goes on to state that:
Statute of Limitations laws are based on fairness. Over time, memories fade, evidence is lost, and witnesses disappear. People get on with their lives and don’t expect court cases from events in the past – unless a really horrible crime has been committed. (Emphasis mine.)
And there is NO DOUBT about it: Rape and sexual trafficking of children, young girls, and young adults is a horrible crime.
However, the problem in the case of survivors of crimes—such as these involving sexual assault, rape, and human trafficking—is that it often takes a victim sometimes many years to be able to come to grips with what has happened to her (or, in other cases, to him), much less try to report it as a crime.
When—and if—she does get ready to tell her story, the Statute of Limitations (sometimes only three years) works against her and she finds that she is too late.
In this case—and oftentimes in many cases—the Statute of Limitations actually, in effect, protects the perpetrators and leaves the victims without any recourse or recompense.
THIS PROPOSAL, “VIRGINIA’S LAW,” WOULD ELIMINATE THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS IN THE EPSTEIN RAPE AND SEX TRAFFICKING CASE.
A SURVIVOR WHO WISHES TO REPORT OR FILE A CLAIM WOULD BE ABLE TO DO SO REGARDLESS OF HOW LONG AGO THE CRIME AGAINST HER OCCURRED.
OF COURSE, THERE IS A ROCKY ROAD AHEAD:
CONGRESS MUST APPROVE IT AND THE PRESIDENT MUST SIGN IT INTO LAW.
WE CAN PRAY!
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