By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

The DC 37 Black History Committee’s Finale Night event on February 28, co-sponsored by New York Public Library Employees Local 1930, presented Unbought and Unbossed, a one-woman show on the life of Shirley Chisholm, written and performed by Ingrid Griffith.

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” Chisholm famously said. Nina Manning of Local 1930, committee co-chair, arranged the virtual event that drew more than 50 union members and retirees.

Griffith performed the riveting drama that chronicled the life of Shirley Chisholm whose Barbadian parents fortified her to challenge Brooklyn’s then all white, all male Democratic Club. With the support of her Jamaican immigrant husband, Conrad– and the mostly Black Bedford-Stuyvesant community of Brooklyn–Chisholm become the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1968. The former public school teacher was one of nine Black reps in Washington.

Her tenacity fueled her historic run for Democratic nominee for president of the United States in 1972. She broke down barriers won wide support and paved the way for diverse representation in politics.

“Our history is not over,” Griffith said, “our story does not end with the month of February. Black history is our history– our American story– and our nation’s history. It continues on.”

Ingrid Griffith will perform her play live on Saturday, March 5 at the Elmont Library in Hempstead, New York at 2 pm. The show is free and the theater seats 400. Call 516-354-5208 for information.