Representative Shirley Chisholm took her seat for the first time today in 1969, becoming the first African-American congresswomen. Rep. Chisholm retired from the House on January 3, 1983.
Source: Shirley Chisholm (2008), Black Americans in Congress
Credentials of Representatives from New York, 11/5/1968, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives
Shirley Chisholm’s Oath of Office, 1/21/1969, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives
Thankfully, time and truth have put an end to the political posturing and Medicare will now reimburse doctors for conversations with patients about whether and how they would want to be kept alive if they became too sick to speak for themselves.
via Entitled to Know.
Today is the first day of African American History Month. We wanted to share these three facts on why Social Security is vital to African Americans.
Republicans failed in their latest futile attempt Tuesday to kill President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, a Groundhog Day vote by the House that was solely an exercise in election-year political messaging.
via New York Times.
While Social Security is expected to be only one part of a person’s retirement income, many minorities rely on it for more of their income. Because African Americans tend to have lower earnings and less pension coverage than White Americans, Social Security is extremely important for African American retirees. Based on the most recently available data:
Those in the African-American community who receive Social Security benefits due to disability or death would also feel a disproportionate impact. The report pointed out that:
- While 10 percent of the U.S. workforce are African Americans, they make up 19 percent of disabled workers receiving benefits.
- African-American children are twice as likely to receive survivor benefits from Social Security as white children.
- Though 15 percent of the nation’s children are African American, they are 21 percent of the children receiving disability benefits.
Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman to serve in Congress when she took office in January 1969. During her seven Congressional terms, “Fighting Shirley” was an outspoken champion for racial and gender equality, and economic justice. Her oath of office is on display in the East Rotunda Gallery through April 11, 2019.
African American History at the National Archives
February is Black History Month. This month and every day, the National Archives celebrates the extraordinary contributions of African Americans to our history and culture.
The National Archives holds a wealth of material documenting the African American experience, including millions of records related to the interactions between African Americans and the Federal government.
You don’t have to live in Washington, DC or visit one of our research rooms to be inspired by the wealth of information available at the National Archives. Visit our African American History webpage to learn more about events and activities celebrating African American History.
Read the full post on the AOTUS blog.
As we have shown, Social Security is our nation’s most important and effective income security program for American workers, retirees and their families and is even more central to the economic security of African Americans.
Join the National Committee on July 14th for a Social Security and African Americans Summit.
Investment in home and community-based care is popular and must be included in #infrastructure. Now it’s up to Congress to get it done. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/opinion/elder-care-congress.html #HCBS @nytimes
