The struggle to increase participation by groups historically excluded from politics such as African Americans, women, and immigrants, is one of the continuing stories in the, A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond exhibition. Shirley Chisholm personifies this story. Chisholm (1924-2005) was the first African American woman elected to Congress where she served for seven terms beginning in 1969. The daughter of immigrants from Barbados and Guyana, Chisolm had a significant impact on anti-poverty policy and educational reform. In 1971, she was a founding member of both the Congressional Black Caucus and the National Women’s Political Caucus.
