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Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicBlack Panther star Danai Gurira will portray the first African-American woman to run for president.
The Fighting Shirley Chisholm will tell the story of Shirley Chisholm’s historic 1972 run for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to Deadline. In 1968, she became the first Black woman elected to Congress as a representative from New York City. Chisholm served seven terms through 1983, when she retired from politics. She passed away in 2005 at the age of 80.
Viola Davis was originally set to star and executive-produce the project. Now Gurira, who recently left The Walking Dead after eight years, will play the title role in the film.
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.
By Ken Simmons
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