What’s the true story behind Netflix’s Shirley? Everything to know

Shirley, the story about the first Black US Presidential candidate, was released on Netflix on Friday, March 22, 2024. The movie is a biopic of Shirley Chisholm who ran for the 1972 Presidential elections. The politician was the first Black woman elected into the US Congress from Brooklyn in 1968. The biopic gives the true depiction of the political growth and career of one of the pioneers of diversity in the US.

The movie is presented as an inspirational story by Oscar-winning director John Ridley featuring Oscar-winning star Regina King in the titular role. Regina King is known for her work in Seven Seconds and Watchmen. The rest of the cast includes names like Terence Howard, Lance Reddick, and Lucas Hedges. The biopic demonstrates Chisholm’s fierce commitment to making a place in the American political scenario and a lasting impression in the inclusive world.

Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers and suggests the reader’s discretion.

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Shirley: The true story of 1972 Presidential candidate

Chisholm was part of the Congress and ran for Presidential elections (Image via Netflix)

Shirley is a biopic and presents the true story of the first Black US Presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm. The trailblazing politician died in 2005, forcing the makers to source information from news articles and footage, documentaries, and books. The US Representative Barbara Lee, who started her career working for presidential candidate Chisholm, visited the filming set and was shown in the end.

The story of Chisholm stars sisters, Regina King and Reina King as co-stars. They were also behind the making of the film as they brought forth the tale of the powerful politician for an audience that knows about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.

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Who was Shirley Chisholm featured in Shirley?

Shirley Chisholm was the 1972 Presidential candidate and while she lost in the elections, she set an example that changed the image of US politics. Chisholm was born in Brooklyn in 1924 and spent her childhood years in Barbados, in the West Indies. She went on to represent the Black American community and work for women’s representation in politics. The plot of the biopic covers the period leading up to the 1972 campaigns and further.

Chisholm had found interest in the local Democratic party’s politics in the 1950s and was elected to the New York State Assembly after some resistance. Elected into the Congress in 1968, she worked towards food and nutrition and ran for President.

Chisholm officially resigned from the Congress in 1983 and withdrew from the offer of ambassadorship in 1993. She passed away in 2005 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2015.

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What election campaign scenarios are presented in the biopic?

As with every candidate, Chisholm also had a campaign, “Unbought and Unbossed”. With the slogan, she tried to convince her voters that she would work for them instead of the wealthy privileged as the movie shows.

To become the Democratic Party’s Presidential nominee, Chisholm needed support from different sections of delegates. Delegates, who are a special set of voters including politicians and activists, have the power to select the top candidate at the National Convention.

This system placed Chisholm's candidature up against others from her own party. While George McGovern won the round from the Democratic Party, it was based on some of the votes granted to him after several candidates walked out of the race granting him their shares instead of to Chisholm.

The movie ends with Chisholm dropping out of the election with only 125 delegates in her gain. However, she inspires her team to have their own congressional career.

The film Shirley is available to stream on Netflix currently.