that certainly included shirley chisolm.he portrait we did much, very much deliberately depicts a lot of what matt was talking about, that she had a national agenda. she took on an advocacy role. so this portrait of her is a few ways, a traditional congressional portrait. it highlights the figure, the subject, but the capital is present, too. so you know where she is. but it makes the capitol smaller than her stature nationally. she very immediately was taking on those roles. also it is a very assertive portrait. she is looking at the viewer, and she is gesturing to the viewer. in order to do that, we sought out artists we felt could tell a story very quickly. and that included children's book illustrators. this portrait was done by on aneone who is internationally award winning children's book illustrator. interestingly, it is become one of the portraits that is the most loved by children who visit the capitol. they look at it and they immediately can see what is going on. and it is a piece of history that is a great thing

that is surely chisholm -- shirley chisolm in 1969. and more specifically to the voting rights act which protects voters in districts where they have a hard time registering previously because of local laws and state laws and disenfranchisement. we have the first southern members elected since reconstruction. and as the numbers of african americans in congress increase, one thing that this allows the core group to do is to create an issues caucus. so in 1971, we have the formation of the congressional black caucus. which is a group of roughly a dozen members at that point. but it is able to exercise some power as a voting block and as an organization that educates members on issues that are important to the black community nationally. so the black caucus becomes involved very early on in things like opposing apartheid in south africa, building momentum to pass a federal holiday to commemorate martin luther king's birthday. so it is operating at a legislative level. but inside the institution, it is important to african-american members

, in the legacy of shirley chisolm. and i have to tell you that for joe biden to choose her, to choose to embrace that legacy at a time when african-americans are questioning whether or not our counterparts in other parts of this country will fully accept our citizenship is the greatest affirmation to the power of black women, to the tenacity of black women, to the legacy of black women as carrying the democratic party on our back for generations. it's a legacy that shirley chisolm began in 1972. and for joe biden to make this choice and to make it after all the back fighting that we heard that, oh, my god, she challenged him on race, he showed himself to be a big man, a big enough man to say that i want the person that challenges me. i want the person that forces me to be better. i want the person that questions me on matters of race because that's why she's there. i want the woman that people say is too ambitious, wants to be too powerful, has a future. i want that to embrace that, i'm proud of joe biden. i have to sa

women like mary church tyrell, mary bethune and diane nash and the great shirley chisolm. we are not often taught their stories but as americans we all stand on their shoulders. there is another one whose name is not known. whose story is not shared. another woman whose shoulders i stand on. that is my mother. she came here from india at age 19 to pursue her dream of curing cancer. at the university of california berkeley she met my father who had come from jamaica. they fell in love in that most american way, marching for justice in the streets of oakland and berkeley i got a strollers eye view of people getting in to what the great john lewis called good trouble. when i was five my parents split and my mother raised us mostly on her own. like so many mothers she worked around the clock to make it work. packing lunches before we got up and paying bills before we went to bed, helping with homework and shuttling us to church for choir practice. she made it look easy although it never was, my mother mother instilled in my sister mya and me the values that guided our lives. s

congresswoman shirley chisolm. >> right. >> >> she passed that baton to so many of us, al. i have a series called "representation matters" where i'm raising monday and night to help the women who are running for public office because you know what, we still haven't gotten the public financing of campaign so i'm urging and encouraging everyone to support these women because this country needs this transformation with, of course, a vice president and our great fighter, kamala harris, in the white house. so this is a moment of transformation. and i'm very proud of all these women and they've taken this baton and they're running forward in terms of this lap of the race. >> when you look at the economy, when you look at what is going on in terms of the imbalance, in terms of the criminal justice system with the george floyd case and other cases that we have talked about and continue to bring up, when you look at the dire needs that our seniors are facing and people across the board, how do you think the democrats get this message down to the ground to energize people to come out

ceo derrick jojohnson said the selection of harris is "the culmination of the tireless work of shirley chisolm, charlene mitchell, sojourner truth, rosa parks, fannie lou hamer, barbara jordan, ida b. wells, and myrlie evers in their fight for representation and equalality." sunrise movement co-founder varshini prakash praised harris for taking the no fossil fuel momoney pledge, endorsining the green new deal, and taking o on big oil as california's s attory general.l. former presidential candidate bernie sanders also praised harris, tweeting -- "she understands what it takes to stand up for working people, fight for health care for all, and take down the most corrupt administration in history." meanwhile,e, the whihite house, president trump atattacked harrs describing h her as "nasty." he made nono mention of the fact he had twice d donated to harr's re-electction bid d to be california's attorney general in 2014. we are joined now by two guests. joining us from harris' hometown of o oakland, california, is aie allison, president and founder of she the people, which has worked to elevate the

like mary church turel, mary bethune sammy lieu hammer and constant baker motly and the great shirley chisolm we are in the often taught their story but as americans we all stand on their shoulders and there is another woman whose name isn't known, whose story isn't shared, another woman whose shoulders i stand on. and that is my mother. shammala harris, she came here from india at age 19 to pursue her dream of curing cancer. at the university of california berkeley she met my father done all harris who had come from jamaica to study economics. they fell in love in that most american way, while marching together for justice in the civil rights movement of the 19 '60s. in the streets of oakland and berkeley i got a stroller's eye view of people giving what the great john lewis called good trouble. when i was five my parents split and my mother raised us mostly on her own. like so many mothers she worked around the clock to make it work, packing lunches before we woke up, and paying bills after we went to bed. helping us with homework at the kitchen table and shuttling us to church for choir pr

. >> reporter: a path paved by the likes of shirley chisolm. >> my presence before you now symbolizedn elected to congress and to run for president as a major party candidate. >> there is a watershed moment. >> reporter: aimee allison founded she the people to elevate women of culture to political power. >> women of color, particularly black women, have moved from the periphery to the center of american politics. we're the queen makers. that's progress. >> reporter: senator harris is getting some encouragement from former first lady michelle obama who delivered a powerful speech in her own right this week. she tweeted to harris, "you got this," and she's not the only one looking forward to tonight. there are a number of virtual watch parties around the country to celebrate harris' historic speech. gayle? >> you know, what i think is so lovely about there story, it's not just women of color who are celebrating kamala harris. it's women of all colors who are cheering her on. and she seems to check a lot of boxes. i find the jamaican community's cheering for her. the indian community's c

they're charting new paths in the spirit of shirley chisolm, and john lewis.hey get in good trouble. necessary trouble. they call things out, otherwise ignored, elevating our nation, and changing the course of our lives for the better. with every vote we cast for forward thinking, honest leaders, we chip away at ingrained systems of inequity and we bend the arc of justice. true leaders make sure that policy is informed by all of us. bridging our burdened past to a safe equitable and even joyful future. joe biden and kamala harris are that bridge. heeding voices from within the movement for racial justice, listening to the people and acting with empathy and compassion to reflect our shared humanity. tonight we'll hear from a number of american leaders, including former acting u.s. attorney general sally yates who refused to defend an unconstitutional travel ban and paid for it with her job. >> the threat to this nation and our democracy is real. you've watched the president now for three years. look at what he's doing, instilling fear. i mean, not joking. insti