In 1972, U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D-New York) became the first woman and the first Black person to make a formal bid for the presidency.

Elected to Congress in 1968, Chisholm opposed the Vietnam War and sought federal funding for childcare, school lunches, and a guaranteed income for families. She co-founded both the Black Caucus in 1971 and the Women's Caucus in 1977.

Asked by The New York Times about her Black colleagues' coolness to her presidential campaign, Chisholm said, "What makes you think black male politicians are any different from white male politicians? This 'woman thing' is so deep... I've found it out in this campaign if I never knew it before."

Read more about Chisholm on the Women's History site.