First Black Woman to Run for President—Full Story Shirley Chisholm was told no. Not once. Not twice. A thousand times. No to running for Congress. No to founding the Congressional Black Caucus. No to running for President. No to being taken seriously. No to participating in debates. No to existing in spaces reserved for men. She ran anyway. In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman ever elected to the United States Congress. Her campaign slogan was revolutionary: "Unbought and Unbos