Friends of Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm’s name is often mentioned alongside those of other renowned activists and civil rights pioneers. As the first African-American woman to serve in Congress, she secured a legacy as a leader and an inspiration.
In honor of her accomplishments, SUNY Empire alumnus Keith Amparado ’88 established the Shirley A. Chisholm Memorial Scholarship at SUNY Empire in 2021. The Chisholm Scholarship is awarded to under-represented undergraduate or graduate female students, with a preference for African-American women like Chisholm herself. The Chisholm Scholarship supports students pursuing a course of study that examines and uncovers the roots, workings, and impacts of structural racism and systemic inequities in our communities today. The ideal recipient intends to pursue a career in law, public affairs, government, public service, or other areas that align with Chisholm’s legacy.
Amparado has a long history of involvement with SUNY Empire. He is president emeritus of the Alumni Student Federation Board of Governors and chairs the steering committee for the Black Male Initiative (BMI), a student retention and support program based out of the university’s Manhattan location. In addition to the Shirley Chisholm Scholarship, Amparado has established the Arcadeo and Sadie Brown Amparado ‘Force for Change’ Scholarship in honor of his parents, and the Dorothy Burnham Scholarship in honor of former faculty member and civil rights pioneer Dorothy Burnham. He is also a supporter of the Black Male Initiative Scholarship for students involved in the BMI.
His relationship with Chisholm is more than just one of professional respect and admiration – although it is that, too. As a child, he was Chisholm’s upstairs neighbor, and she was a friend of the Amparado family. He remembers her fondly.
“I think I was 10 when I met Shirley and I used to see her on most weekday mornings,” he said. “Her perfume still lingers in my mind – Khus Khus, a Jamaican scent. I had great respect for her courage. I never met anyone with the kind of courage she had.”
The daughter of immigrants, Chisholm attended Brooklyn’s well-regarded Girls’ High and graduated from Brooklyn College in 1946. She worked as a nursery school teacher before earning a master’s degree from Columbia University and becoming an educational consultant for the City of New York, specializing in early education and child welfare issues. It was during this time that she became actively involved in local politics.
She began her political career in the New York State Assembly, and in 1968 Chisholm made history as the first African-American woman to win a seat in Congress. She solidified her reputation as “Fighting Shirley” by introducing more than 50 pieces of legislation, championing racial and gender equality, pressing for an end to the Vietnam War, advocating for children’s nutrition programs, co-founding the National Women’s Political Caucus, and becoming the first Black woman and second woman ever to serve on the House Rules Committee.
In 1972, Chisholm gained notoriety for her quest to secure the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, the first Black woman and first woman to do so. Although ultimately unsuccessful, her campaign was noteworthy for her tenacity in overcoming the party’s objections, being blocked from participating in televised debates, and lack of financial support from the Congressional Black Caucus. She ultimately served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before retiring in 1983.
After her retirement from Congress, Chisholm taught at Mount Holyoke College and Spelman College, and co-founded the National Congress of Black Women. In her first autobiography, titled Unbought and Unbossed (which was also her campaign slogan), she said she wanted her legacy to be remembered as a woman “who dared to be a catalyst of change.”
Shirley Chisholm passed away in 2005 and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Through the Shirley Chisholm Memorial Scholarship, Amparado hopes to support SUNY Empire students “who have a strong belief in Shirley’s vision, understand what she was trying to accomplish, see what she did accomplish, and see this vision for themselves.” Recipients of the Chisholm Scholarship will continue to honor her work by serving the underserved and creating their own legacy for the future.