An exhibit in the parlor of the 18th century house in Prospect Park invites visitors to reflect on lessons learned from the life of the politician.
An exhibit on Shirley Chisholm opened in the parlor of Lefferts Historic House in Prospect Park. Photo by Susan De Vries
by It is impossible to miss the words of Shirley Chisholm emblazoned above a mantel in the Lefferts Historic House in Prospect Park. The phrase “keep plotting” greets visitors at a new exhibit that explores the legacy of the trailblazer.
In a parlor in the landmarked 18th century house, the installation invites observers to reflect on lessons learned from the life of the politician. The exhibit, Shirley Chisholm Way: Brooklyn’s Blueprint for Change, uses text, photographs, and some objects. Rather than a full chronology of Chisholm’s life, the display focuses on seven key points that can still resonate with current Brooklynites.
“For me it is like a portal. It is a room of activation through the lens of Shirley,” Barbara Bullard, curator of the show and the president of the Shirley Chisholm Cultural Institute, told Brownstoner during a tour of the exhibit.
A map highlights places in the borough related to Chisholm. Photo by Susan De Vries
Ephemera related to Chisholm’s career is on display. Photo by Susan De Vries
Multiple themes are presented with a photograph to represent each, including radical empathy, joy and resistance, and navigating betrayal. Included in the imagery is at least one that has not been previously exhibited or published.
Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress and, with her 1972 campaign, was the first Black woman to run as a major-party candidate for the office of president of the United States. Her footprint in Brooklyn is shown on a map highlighting locations where she lived and worked as well as sites named in her honor.
Visitors have a chance to add a sticky note to the map sharing their thoughts about what Chisholm would be fighting for today and what they themselves will do to carry on her legacy. Continuing with that theme, there are plans for a video oral history project as part of the installation.
A quote from Chisholm was added to the mantel. Photo by Susan De Vries
Visitors are encouraged to leave their thoughts. Photo by Susan De Vries
The exhibit opened in May and will run through November 15. The museum closes during winter, but the show may remain in place after the house reopens for the 2027 season and while a planned monument to Chisholm in the park is under construction.
“We see this exhibit as being part of the monument that is going up at the Parkside entrance,” said Prospect Park Alliance Director of Museum Programs and Operations Dylan Yeats during the tour. “We want this to be a place where people can come and have discussions about how to remember her broadly and how we can activate the monument.”
Admission is free and there will be additional public programs during the run of the exhibit. For more information on the museum hours and programs, visit the Prospect Park Alliance website.
While visitors are at the historic site, there are also other exhibits to explore. Inside the house, the installation Eelunaapéewi Ehaptoonáakanal: Voices of Lunáapeew/Lenape includes video interviews about Lunáapeew/Lenape heritage.
Outside, newly installed panels highlight the role of Black people in the Battle of Brooklyn. And screen-printed banners installed as part of Ancestral Whispers by artist in residence Adama Delphine Fawundu are still on view on the Flatbush Avenue-facing facade of the house.
The exterior of the house includes banners inspired by the fabric of one of Chisholm’s outfits as well as another created as part of an exhibit on Lunáapeew/Lenape heritage. Photo by Susan De Vries
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