Charlene Mitchell
Before Shirley Chisholm, 38-year-old Charlene Mitchell of Ohio was the first Black woman to run for president in 1968. She entered the 1968 presidential race on the Communist Party ticket with her running mate being Michael Zagarell, the party’s national youth director. Her campaign focused on poverty and civil rights but she failed to make it as many states at the time did not allow communists on the ballot. At the end of the day, she appeared on the ballot in two states, receiving just 1,075 votes. Being Black and female also didn’t get her the votes.
