Michelle Obama’s Purple Look Was One Of Many Nods To Shirley Chisholm On Inauguration Day

More significantly to this historic occasion, as the WWD pointed out, it was the color Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman ever to be elected into Congress, wore when she announced her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on January 25, 1972. Though she lost in the primaries to George McGovern, Chisholm became a source of inspiration for many women politicians today, including Rep. Barbara Lee, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Kamala Harris, who on Wednesday, became the first woman Vice President of the United States of Black and South Asian descent.
By: Eliza Huber