Shirley Chisholm

What would congressional pathfinder Shirley Chisholm make of the poisonous partisan climate in Congress today? Just a guess, but Chisholm - who died over the weekend after two-plus decades away from politics - probably wouldn't let race, gender or ideological differences stand in the way of her trying to build bridges. During seven terms as a congresswoman from her native Brooklyn, New York, until 1982, Chisholm didn't shy either from disagreeing with political friends or talking with political foes as she pursued her progressive agenda.

GETTING A GOODBYE KISS from civil-rights leader Shirley Chisholm is Corey Coleman, an honor student at Prince Hall Elementary. Chisholm appeared at the Fern Rock school yesterday for a special assembly and reception.

In an effort to expose students and other local residents to people of different cultures, West Chester University's 1988-89 Lecture Series will feature actor Louis Gossett Jr. and politicians Shirley Chisholm and Henry Cisneros. The series, titled "Cultural Differences: Race Relations in the '80s," will feature Gossett on Oct. 12, Chisholm on Feb. 23 and Cisneros on April 11. The series is part of an effort initiated by a task force on racial concerns established by university president Kenneth Perrin 18 months ago, according to Joanne Matika, director of university relations.

It's been more than 30 years since Shirley Chisholm entered the fray to become the Democratic Party's nominee for president, but as we can see in the new documentary Chisholm '72 - Unbought and Unbossed, her style is forever young. Director Shola Lynch's account of the first-term African American representative from Brooklyn who energetically campaigned for her party's nomination is buoyant and inspirational. Despite a conspicuous lack of encouragement from sister feminists and her brethren in the Congressional Black Caucus, Chisholm soldiered on. Relying principally on newsreel footage interspersed with contemporary interviews, Lynch chronicles the charismatic Chisholm's journey from a Baptist church in Brooklyn to the Democratic National Convention in Miami.

She is still tiny, her presence bolstered by three-inch pumps in which, at age 70, she still walks purposefully. Her hair, once black, is now rinsed bluish-gray and styled in a youthful bob. And the voice - the tone still fiery, the diction still crisp, the oratory still captivating - urged more than 200 women gathered yesterday at the Greater Bay Resort and Country Club to "make a dent in the political system," just as she did by fighting for...

NOT LONG before Michael Nutter stepped off the stage at the Academy of Music and into his new life as mayor of Philadelphia, Barack Obama was stepping off the train in New Hampshire. Because it's been a great month for them both, we can't help comparing the two. They share more than timing: They are both young and smart. And both are tapping into an appetite for change. Obama is running on a platform of change for the country. Nutter's goal is changing the legacy of corruption and pay-to-play in City Hall.

The Democratic Party lost two special people on Saturday. They were most definitely Democrats, but each showed that part of the measure of big people is their willingness to think anew and act independently. Shirley Chisholm, who died at 80, will be remembered fondly after a rich, vibrant career that paved the way both for women and for African Americans. California congressman Bob Matsui, at just 63, will be mourned on the verge of what would have been the toughest challenge of his remarkable career: leading his party in the House on the defining issue of Social Security.

In 1984, when presidential hopeful Walter Mondale failed to consider a black woman as his running mate, it was viewed as more than an oversight by Shirley Chisholm - the self-described trouble-making maverick of American politics. It was, according to Chisholm, indicative of a larger issue: Black women were powerless and voiceless at major political conventions, despite their dogged imput. "For a number of years, black women have been involved in politics as the allies of someone else - white female, black male and white male political organs," said Chisholm in an interview yesterday before an appearance in Cherry Hill.

NOT LONG before Michael Nutter stepped off the stage at the Academy of Music and into his new life as mayor of Philadelphia, Barack Obama was stepping off the train in New Hampshire. Because it's been a great month for them both, we can't help comparing the two. They share more than timing: They are both young and smart. And both are tapping into an appetite for change. Obama is running on a platform of change for the country. Nutter's goal is changing the legacy of corruption and pay-to-play in City Hall.

When Tara Ford thinks about the problems facing the world, she thinks about her favorite book, 1984. She thinks about restrictions on democracy. "A lot of people in Eastern Europe and other countries see what the United States holds, and that it can be that way for them," said the Overbrook Regional High School senior, who leaves in five months for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. "They see we have simple things like the freedom of assembly and the freedom of religion.

NOT LONG before Michael Nutter stepped off the stage at the Academy of Music and into his new life as mayor of Philadelphia, Barack Obama was stepping off the train in New Hampshire. Because it's been a great month for them both, we can't help comparing the two. They share more than timing: They are both young and smart. And both are tapping into an appetite for change. Obama is running on a platform of change for the country. Nutter's goal is changing the legacy of corruption and pay-to-play in City Hall.

NOT LONG before Michael Nutter stepped off the stage at the Academy of Music and into his new life as mayor of Philadelphia, Barack Obama was stepping off the train in New Hampshire. Because it's been a great month for them both, we can't help comparing the two. They share more than timing: They are both young and smart. And both are tapping into an appetite for change. Obama is running on a platform of change for the country. Nutter's goal is changing the legacy of corruption and pay-to-play in City Hall.

The Democratic Party lost two special people on Saturday. They were most definitely Democrats, but each showed that part of the measure of big people is their willingness to think anew and act independently. Shirley Chisholm, who died at 80, will be remembered fondly after a rich, vibrant career that paved the way both for women and for African Americans. California congressman Bob Matsui, at just 63, will be mourned on the verge of what would have been the toughest challenge of his remarkable career: leading his party in the House on the defining issue of Social Security.

What would congressional pathfinder Shirley Chisholm make of the poisonous partisan climate in Congress today? Just a guess, but Chisholm - who died over the weekend after two-plus decades away from politics - probably wouldn't let race, gender or ideological differences stand in the way of her trying to build bridges. During seven terms as a congresswoman from her native Brooklyn, New York, until 1982, Chisholm didn't shy either from disagreeing with political friends or talking with political foes as she pursued her progressive agenda.

It's been more than 30 years since Shirley Chisholm entered the fray to become the Democratic Party's nominee for president, but as we can see in the new documentary Chisholm '72 - Unbought and Unbossed, her style is forever young. Director Shola Lynch's account of the first-term African American representative from Brooklyn who energetically campaigned for her party's nomination is buoyant and inspirational. Despite a conspicuous lack of encouragement from sister feminists and her brethren in the Congressional Black Caucus, Chisholm soldiered on. Relying principally on newsreel footage interspersed with contemporary interviews, Lynch chronicles the charismatic Chisholm's journey from a Baptist church in Brooklyn to the Democratic National Convention in Miami.

She is still tiny, her presence bolstered by three-inch pumps in which, at age 70, she still walks purposefully. Her hair, once black, is now rinsed bluish-gray and styled in a youthful bob. And the voice - the tone still fiery, the diction still crisp, the oratory still captivating - urged more than 200 women gathered yesterday at the Greater Bay Resort and Country Club to "make a dent in the political system," just as she did by fighting for...

GETTING A GOODBYE KISS from civil-rights leader Shirley Chisholm is Corey Coleman, an honor student at Prince Hall Elementary. Chisholm appeared at the Fern Rock school yesterday for a special assembly and reception.

When Tara Ford thinks about the problems facing the world, she thinks about her favorite book, 1984. She thinks about restrictions on democracy. "A lot of people in Eastern Europe and other countries see what the United States holds, and that it can be that way for them," said the Overbrook Regional High School senior, who leaves in five months for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. "They see we have simple things like the freedom of assembly and the freedom of religion.

In an effort to expose students and other local residents to people of different cultures, West Chester University's 1988-89 Lecture Series will feature actor Louis Gossett Jr. and politicians Shirley Chisholm and Henry Cisneros. The series, titled "Cultural Differences: Race Relations in the '80s," will feature Gossett on Oct. 12, Chisholm on Feb. 23 and Cisneros on April 11. The series is part of an effort initiated by a task force on racial concerns established by university president Kenneth Perrin 18 months ago, according to Joanne Matika, director of university relations.

In 1984, when presidential hopeful Walter Mondale failed to consider a black woman as his running mate, it was viewed as more than an oversight by Shirley Chisholm - the self-described trouble-making maverick of American politics. It was, according to Chisholm, indicative of a larger issue: Black women were powerless and voiceless at major political conventions, despite their dogged imput. "For a number of years, black women have been involved in politics as the allies of someone else - white female, black male and white male political organs," said Chisholm in an interview yesterday before an appearance in Cherry Hill.