BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) – Deep in the heart of Central Brooklyn, construction is ahead of schedule on a new $141 million recreation center named for a trailblazing woman who was ahead of her time.
Shirley Chisholm would have turned 100 this year. She was the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first Black major party candidate to run for president of the United States.
Family friend Yolanda Lezama-Clark recently spoke with PIX11 News in the home on Saint John’s Place that her father purchased from Chisholm and her husband in the early 1970s.
“This very small woman was so influential. It’s very important that those who come after – the children now that are coming up – that they know the importance and the role that Shirley Chisholm played in this country,” said Lezama-Clark.
Chisholm’s legacy is not lost on 20-year-old Seth Ramsey-Lomax.
“[It’s] something to be proud about. As a Black man, to hear that, it actually motivates me to do something better and do something with my life,” said Ramsey-Lomax.
Rev. Al Sharpton caught that spark as a teenager while volunteering during Chisholm’s inspired, but unsuccessful 1972 presidential campaign.
“Shirley Chisholm said to me one day, ‘Young man, you ought to be with me!’ I saw the courage she had because many Black politicians denounced her running, and would not support her. And she said, ‘Alfred, there’s a price you pay if you’re gonna try and break through. We have to pay this price.’ I sat on the platform the day [former President] Barack Obama was sworn in. I was one of his guests, and when he put his hand on that Bible, I thought about Ms. C,” Sharpton said.
Mayor Eric Adams led a coalition of elected officials who celebrated Chisholm’s legacy during the recreation center’s groundbreaking last fall.
“The energy and spirit of Shirley Chisholm is looking down and realizing how proud she is to see the seeds that she planted,” said Adams.
The facility will feature a fitness center, media center, and other forward-thinking amenities designed to give kids an alternative to the streets.
National statistics show more than 60% of Black boys and girls do not know how to swim. This recreation center boasts the first municipal pool in central Brooklyn.
City Council Member Farah Louis and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams both played an instrumental role in securing funding for the center, named after one of their personal “She-roes.”
“So having a center like this – it’s not a panacea. So we don’t want to pretend that it solves all the problems, but it does provide something that just wasn’t there,” said Williams.
Louis added, “She taught us to fight, to stand on our values. It’s important for us to create a pathway for young people to get the education they need, the support they need.”
And the confidence to strive for the level of excellence that Shirley Chisholm achieved while being “Unbought and Unbossed.”
Article From:
pix11.com
English (US) ·