“A More Perfect Party: The Night Shirley Chisholm and Diahann Carroll Reshaped Politics” offers a compelling look at a significant moment in American political history. It sheds light on the efforts of two influential Black women who reshaped the political landscape.
The Spokesman will host political analyst, opinion writer and the book’s author, Juanita Tolliver, in Sheffey Auditorium in the Communications Building on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 11:30 a.m.
“I wanted to focus on Chisholm’s humanity more than anything,” said Tolliver. “She operated from a place of strife. She persevered and I wanted to tell a story that highlighted who she was as a person, not just as a political figure.”
Tolliver said her desire to preserve an aspect of Black women and their history came from her grandfather, who influenced her worldview when he said, “‘This isn’t about me. This is about how I’m clearing the field for everybody to come after me.’”
Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968, went on to make history again in 1972 as the first Black woman to run for president. According to Tolliver, Chisholm faced obstacles and resistance — even among members of the Congressional Black Caucus, an organization Chisholm co-founded.
“Black men within the Congressional Black Caucus rejected her outright everyday,” said Tolliver. “She cried herself to sleep many nights because she was viewed as an obstruction.”
Luckily, Chisholm found an ally in Diahann Carroll, a renowned Black actress from the 1950s to into the early 2000s. Carroll was a key supporter of Chisholm’s campaign.
“What Diahann Carroll saw in Shirley Chisholm was power and possibility,” said Tolliver. “She opened the door, but Chisholm had to convince people.”
Tolliver’s research uncovered unlikely connections that tied Chisholm to the Black Panther Party — ties that Carroll helped establish.
“Barbara Lee told me, ‘I’m the one who got the Black Panthers to run Shirley Chisholm’s field operations in California,’” said Tolliver. “Then she said, ‘I took Huey P. Newton to meet Shirley Chisholm for the first time at Diahann Carroll’s home.’”
The discussion with Tolliver is free and open to the public. In many ways, it harkens back to the influence of Tolliver’s grandfather who cultivated her drive to uplift other Black people and Black history.
“I tell it like it is because I’m not beholden to anyone,” said Tolliver. “We’re seeing Black voices and anchors being removed from their jobs weekly at this point. I appreciate that I’ve built my career in a way that allows me to speak freely and I encourage others to do the same.”
