SHIRLEY – Review by Lois Alter Mark
“I have always wanted to be nothing more, nothing less than a catalyst for change,” said Shirley Chisholm, the subject of Shirley, an inspiring new Netflix biopic directed by John Ridley. The film easily proves she got her wish despite her failed run for the presidency.
In 1968, Chisholm (Regina King) became the first Black woman elected to Congress. She’s a standout – especially in the freshman class photo – not just because of her race and gender but because she refuses to abandon her principles in order to fit in. She spars with a good old boy colleague and argues relentlessly with the Speaker of the House (Ken Strunk) – who has ridiculously appointed the New York City congresswoman to sit on the Agricultural Committee – until he gives her a new assignment.
“Just don’t ever accept things the way they are,” she says. That’s a philosophy she lived by her entire life and one that made her a true leader.
Keeping a promise to her supporters that she would run for President if they raised $5,000 (they ended up raising $10,000), she enters the 1972 race, running on a platform to “Give politics back to the people.”
Although she’s a complete underdog, she makes some headway and shakes things up, always doing things her own way. She invites a young single mom who is upset about the state of the country and disillusioned by the people running the government to get involved with her campaign. “The first thing you have to do is vote,” she tells her. “You have to be part of the process.”
That young woman was Barbara Lee (Christina Jackson) who, 26 years later, was elected to the House of Representatives, where she continues to honor Chisholm’s legacy today. (Watch the documentary, Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power for more inspiration.)
Political junkies will find so many fascinating scenes in this film, like when Chisholm goes to visit her nemesis and segregationist opponent, George Wallace (W. Earl Brown), in the hospital after he’s shot; when she meets with Huey Newton (Brad James) at the home of actress Diahann Carroll (Amirah Vann) in an attempt to gain the endorsement of the Black Panthers; and when she hires 21-year-old Robert Gottlieb (Lucas Hedges), her former intern, to serve as campaign youth coordinator since the 1972 election was the first one in which the voting age was lowered to 18. Continue reading.
