Netflix's Shirley Movie Poster courtesy of Wikipedia
Campaign poster courtesy of Google
(*Warning: contains spoilers)
In 1968, Shirley Chisholm, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Barbados, became the first African-American woman to be elected to the United States Congress. In 1972, she became the first African-American woman to run for president as a major party nomination, and the first African-American woman to run for the Democratic Party's nomination. Shirley focuses on the presidential campaign.
Actress Regina King did an excellent job embodying Ms. Chisholm's charisma, charm and integrity. Even though as a viewer you can search the Internet to learn the outcome of the campaign, Shirley is educational, entertaining and inspiring. John Ridley's writing and directing is clear and concise. Each scene deserves to be in the movie. All dialogue moves the story forward. The performances are excellent.
What Can We Learn From Shirley?
We admire great leaders for what they accomplish, but sometimes a loss is still a win. Shirley Chisholm was a formidable candidate. Her convictions were strong that all people deserve a seat at the decision- making table. She had many supporters, but did not have enough delegates to secure the presidential nomination. Nevertheless, she inspired countless women to follow in her footsteps and run for political office.
Netflix's Shirley is a win!