Here Is The Shirley Chisholm Monument Coming To Prospect Park

PROSPECT PARK, BROOKYLN — The city released renderings this week of a new monument that will honor Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to congress, officials said.

Artists Amanda Williams and Olalekan Jeyifous will design the new monument — called "Our Destiny, Our Democracy" — slated to be installed by 2020 at the Prospect Park entrance on Ocean and Parkside avenues, according to the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

The yellow-and-green silhouetted structure was selected from five monuments proposed to honor Shirley Chisholm — a Brooklyn congresswoman known for her progressive initiatives such as increasing minimum wage, expanding health care and fighting for Title IX, which mandates schools provide athletic opportunities for women — which were unveiled in March 2019, officials said.

Williams, of Chicago, and Jeyifous, of Brooklyn, sought to honor Chisholm's legacy as a trailblazer who expanded political horizons for the women and people of color who followed in her path, the artists said.

“Our project celebrates Shirley Chisholm’s legacy as a civil servant who ‘left the door open’ to make room for others," Williams and Jeyifous stated.

"We have designed a monument in which her iconic visage can be immediately recognizable while also equally portraying the power, beauty, and dimensionality of her contributions to our democracy."

"Our Destiny, Our Democracy" will be installed as a part of Prospect Park Alliance’s $9.5 million restoration of the Parkside and Ocean Avenue entrance which will include new sidewalks, lighting, the planting of new trees and an additional protected bike lane, officials said.

The Shirley Chisholm monument will rise as part of the She Built NYC, a program dedicated to increasing female representation in the city's 150 monuments, of which only five currently depict women.

“She Built NYC is transforming public art in our City by honoring the contributions of women who helped build and shape it," said First Lady Chirlane McCray.

"Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s dynamic leadership and activism continues to inspire all who learn her story and her service deserves public recognition."

City officials will now begin working with the artists, the Park Department, Prospect Park Alliance and community leaders to hone the original design and present plans to local community boards for review.