Regina King to portray Shirley Chisholm, 1st Black congresswoman, in new movie
Regina King is fulfilling her dream to portray America's first Black congresswoman.
The Oscar winner will star as the late Shirley Chisholm in a film titled "Shirley," according to a press release from Participant.
"Shirley Chisholm's fearless determination has been an inspiration to so many of us, and with this film we hope to inspire many generations to come," King, who is co-producing, said in a statement.
The movie will be written and directed by John Ridley, who won an Oscar for the "12 Years a Slave" screenplay. King also starred on Ridley's TV series "American Crime," for which she won two of her four Emmys.
"To collaborate once again with my friend and mentor, John Ridley, and the team at Participant, makes this decade-long journey even sweeter," King added.
In 1968, Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress, serving as a representative for New York's 12th congressional district, which includes New York City. Chisholm served seven terms through 1983, when she retired from politics. She died in 2005 at the age of 80.
The film will detail her historic 1972 run for the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming the first woman to do so.
In 2015, President Barack Obama posthumously honored Chisholm with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The trailblazing politician was also recognized by the U.S. Postal Service with the Shirley Chisholm Forever Stamp in 2014.
King recently made her directorial debut with "One Night in Miami," which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for best director. She will next appear in a western, "The Harder They Fall."
