See Regina King as Trailblazing Black Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm inShirleyFirst Look Photos

Mar. 15, 2025

Regina King; Regina King in ‘Shirley’.Photo:Michael Buckner/WWD via Getty; Glen Wilson/NetflixRegina Kingtransforms into a trailblazing icon in theupcoming Netflix movieShirley.The Oscar-winningIf Beale Street Could Talkactress, 52, playsShirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to be elected to Congress. She represented New York’s 12th district from 1969 to 1983.In 1972, she broke another barrier when she became the first Black woman to seek a major party’s nomination for President of the United States, running as a Democrat.According to a release from Netflix, the film chronicles Chisholm’s “audacious, boundary-breaking 1972 presidential campaign.”Regina King in ‘Shirley’.Glen Wilson/NetflixChisholm, who died at age 80 in 2005, faced an uphill battle at every turn. After winning her Congressional seat in 1968, the daughter of a Barbados-born maid and a Guyanese laborer “was greeted in Washington with cold shoulders rather than open arms,” according to her PEOPLE obituary.“Many of her new colleagues, overwhelmingly white and male, would barely speak to her, Chisholm told friends, and seemed eager to keep her on the fringes of power,” the tribute continued.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Regina King in ‘Shirley’.Glen Wilson/NetflixNot that she let that stop her. According to her friend and Democratic activist Donna Brazile, Chisholm once told her, “‘If you wait for a man to give you a seat, you’ll never have one! If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring in a folding chair.'” Her personal motto was “unbought and unbossed.”King has long admired Chisholm’s spirit. She spent 15 years working with sister Reina King to develop the movie.“It was always a little disheartening for Reina and I to have so many people over the years of our lives not know who Shirley Chisholm was,”King previously toldHarper’s Bazaar. “What she did was so pioneering. She was a true maverick and, you know, we use this term all the time, but she was a true first.”Christina Jackson, Michael Cherrie, Regina King, Lance Reddick and Lucas Hedges in ‘Shirley’.Glen Wilson/NetflixThat the movie will be released in an election year is no accident.“Instead of trying to release it during any normal cycle, we thought, Wouldn’t it be more impactful to release it during a presidential election year?” she continued. “As a team, we felt that is probably the best way we could possibly honor Shirley: to release her in a space that she created for herself.”The real Shirley Chisholm in 1972.Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via GettyIn addition to King, who is a producer on the film,Shirleystars the lateLance Reddickin one of his final projects;Terrence Howard; Brian Stokes Mitchell; Lucas Hedges andHow to Get Away with Murder’s Amirah Vann. John Ridley directs.Shirleystreams on Netflix March 22.

Regina King; Regina King in ‘Shirley’.Photo:Michael Buckner/WWD via Getty; Glen Wilson/Netflix

Michael Buckner/WWD via Getty; Glen Wilson/Netflix

Regina Kingtransforms into a trailblazing icon in theupcoming Netflix movieShirley.The Oscar-winningIf Beale Street Could Talkactress, 52, playsShirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to be elected to Congress. She represented New York’s 12th district from 1969 to 1983.In 1972, she broke another barrier when she became the first Black woman to seek a major party’s nomination for President of the United States, running as a Democrat.According to a release from Netflix, the film chronicles Chisholm’s “audacious, boundary-breaking 1972 presidential campaign.”Regina King in ‘Shirley’.Glen Wilson/NetflixChisholm, who died at age 80 in 2005, faced an uphill battle at every turn. After winning her Congressional seat in 1968, the daughter of a Barbados-born maid and a Guyanese laborer “was greeted in Washington with cold shoulders rather than open arms,” according to her PEOPLE obituary.“Many of her new colleagues, overwhelmingly white and male, would barely speak to her, Chisholm told friends, and seemed eager to keep her on the fringes of power,” the tribute continued.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Regina King in ‘Shirley’.Glen Wilson/NetflixNot that she let that stop her. According to her friend and Democratic activist Donna Brazile, Chisholm once told her, “‘If you wait for a man to give you a seat, you’ll never have one! If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring in a folding chair.'” Her personal motto was “unbought and unbossed.”King has long admired Chisholm’s spirit. She spent 15 years working with sister Reina King to develop the movie.“It was always a little disheartening for Reina and I to have so many people over the years of our lives not know who Shirley Chisholm was,”King previously toldHarper’s Bazaar. “What she did was so pioneering. She was a true maverick and, you know, we use this term all the time, but she was a true first.”Christina Jackson, Michael Cherrie, Regina King, Lance Reddick and Lucas Hedges in ‘Shirley’.Glen Wilson/NetflixThat the movie will be released in an election year is no accident.“Instead of trying to release it during any normal cycle, we thought, Wouldn’t it be more impactful to release it during a presidential election year?” she continued. “As a team, we felt that is probably the best way we could possibly honor Shirley: to release her in a space that she created for herself.”The real Shirley Chisholm in 1972.Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via GettyIn addition to King, who is a producer on the film,Shirleystars the lateLance Reddickin one of his final projects;Terrence Howard; Brian Stokes Mitchell; Lucas Hedges andHow to Get Away with Murder’s Amirah Vann. John Ridley directs.Shirleystreams on Netflix March 22.

Regina Kingtransforms into a trailblazing icon in theupcoming Netflix movieShirley.

The Oscar-winningIf Beale Street Could Talkactress, 52, playsShirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to be elected to Congress. She represented New York’s 12th district from 1969 to 1983.

In 1972, she broke another barrier when she became the first Black woman to seek a major party’s nomination for President of the United States, running as a Democrat.

According to a release from Netflix, the film chronicles Chisholm’s “audacious, boundary-breaking 1972 presidential campaign.”

Regina King in ‘Shirley’.Glen Wilson/Netflix

Glen Wilson/Netflix

Chisholm, who died at age 80 in 2005, faced an uphill battle at every turn. After winning her Congressional seat in 1968, the daughter of a Barbados-born maid and a Guyanese laborer “was greeted in Washington with cold shoulders rather than open arms,” according to her PEOPLE obituary.

“Many of her new colleagues, overwhelmingly white and male, would barely speak to her, Chisholm told friends, and seemed eager to keep her on the fringes of power,” the tribute continued.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Not that she let that stop her. According to her friend and Democratic activist Donna Brazile, Chisholm once told her, “‘If you wait for a man to give you a seat, you’ll never have one! If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring in a folding chair.'” Her personal motto was “unbought and unbossed.”

King has long admired Chisholm’s spirit. She spent 15 years working with sister Reina King to develop the movie.

“It was always a little disheartening for Reina and I to have so many people over the years of our lives not know who Shirley Chisholm was,”King previously toldHarper’s Bazaar. “What she did was so pioneering. She was a true maverick and, you know, we use this term all the time, but she was a true first.”

Christina Jackson, Michael Cherrie, Regina King, Lance Reddick and Lucas Hedges in ‘Shirley’.Glen Wilson/Netflix

That the movie will be released in an election year is no accident.

“Instead of trying to release it during any normal cycle, we thought, Wouldn’t it be more impactful to release it during a presidential election year?” she continued. “As a team, we felt that is probably the best way we could possibly honor Shirley: to release her in a space that she created for herself.”

The real Shirley Chisholm in 1972.Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty

Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty

In addition to King, who is a producer on the film,Shirleystars the lateLance Reddickin one of his final projects;Terrence Howard; Brian Stokes Mitchell; Lucas Hedges andHow to Get Away with Murder’s Amirah Vann. John Ridley directs.

Shirleystreams on Netflix March 22.

source: people.com