Pic credit: NPR
Gallant moves in Congress
Chisholm did not waste time in making her presence felt in Congress, as she spoke out against the Vietnam War within the first few months and was strongly against military spending. It is said that when she was assigned to the House Agricultural Committee, she boldly rejected it and asked for another assignment, with reasons that such a role would not allow her to serve her constituents in Brooklyn effectively.
She went ahead to address House Speaker John McCormack on the matter and was reassigned to Veterans’ Affairs, and subsequently moved to the Education and Labor Committee in 1971. While in Congress, Chisholm “worked to expand food stamps, create the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children” and hired all women for her office (half of whom were black). She also became a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus as well as the National Women’s Political Caucus.
