Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed and Unbowed

Don’t miss this award-winning solo show created and performed by Ingrid Griffith, telling the largely unheard story of Shirley St. Hill Chisholm, a Brooklyn-born politician of immigrant parents, who, in the 20th century, was the first African-American woman to win a seat in Congress and run for President. 

The story follows 10-year-old Shirley as she returns to the U.S. after being separated from her parents during the Great Depression. Her years with her grandmother in Barbados deeply shaped her Caribbean heritage, influencing her bearing, speech, and self-expectations. Shirley Chisholm’s childhood reveals how race and gender were meant to limit her, yet she chose to fight for the disenfranchised, overcoming immense barriers to rise in politics. Unbossed & Unbowed dramatizes the Civil Rights era, the unrest of the 1960s, and the patriarchal system she challenged—struggles that still resonate today. Through visuals and music, the play captures the economic, political, and social upheavals from the 1930s to the early 1970s. While all characters bring strong voices, it is Shirley Chisholm’s narrative that delivers the story’s powerful message.

TICKETS

LIM Member: $25
Non-member: $30

Purchase tickets here.