‘Unbossed & Unbowed’: Shirley Chisholm’s revolutionary spirit ignites BRIC House this Friday and Saturday

BRIC, a leading arts and media institution anchored in Downtown Brooklyn, presents this Saturday “Unbossed & Unbowed,” an immersive and interactive one-woman show written and performed by Ingrid Griffith, chronicling the life of Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to run for the US Presidency.

The show, winner of the 2023 Suzi Bass Award for Outstanding Production about Social Justice, borrows its title from Chisholm’s 1972 presidential campaign slogan and later memoir.

The show is part of BRIC’s performing arts programming at BRIC House in Downtown Brooklyn. BRIC said it has shaped Brooklyn’s cultural and media landscape for over 45 years by presenting and incubating artists, creators, students and media makers.

Griffith, protégé of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, an accomplished writer and actor with off-Broadway credits including productions of “The Basset Table,” “Doubt,” “Vagina Monologues,” “Twilight: Los Angeles,” “Ruined,” and “Hedda Gabler.”

Her previous solo show, “Demerara Gold,” toured internationally to wide acclaim. Griffith’s accolades include the 2023 Guyana Cultural Association Award and the Danny Glover Power of Dream Award.

In ‘Unbossed & Unbowed’, experience the powerful story of Brooklyn-born Shirley Chisholm, of Barbadian and Guyanese parentage, dubbed the “Black Joan of Arc,” as she challenged the political machine in her pursuit of justice during the 1960s and ’70s.

The play traces Chisholm’s journey from her early years spent in Barbados to her immigrant parents’ struggles in America, culminating in her groundbreaking presidential campaign.

As Kamala Harris makes history as the first woman, first Black person – whose father, Dr. Donald Harris, a retired economist, was born in Jamaica – and first person of South Asian descent to be Vice President of the United States, “Unbossed & Unbowed” reflects on the groundbreaking path Chisholm paved.

Her groundbreaking 1972 presidential campaign laid the foundation for future generations of women in politics, including Harris’ presidential runs in 2020 and today.

“I was moved to write and share the story of this political activist because I’m Afro-Caribbean, a woman and an immigrant and have felt the sharp influence of being a member of each of these categories,” Griffith told Caribbean Life over the weekend. “The perspective of the outsider offers a clarity that the one that is embraced by the popular culture does not have.

“I chose this woman because I knew very little about her; and what I knew intrigued me,” she added, stating that “’Unbossed & Unbowed’ informs audiences about an African American social justice activist and political icon who changed history.

“I play Shirley as a child in the 1930s to the woman she becomes in 1972,” Griffith continued. “Her story allows audiences to make connections between our past and present, and to understand that political progress is achieved by each and everyone’s participation.”

She said the solo-show genre is an integral part of the show’s message.

“It’s stark, unencumbered and is empowering not only for me, the solo show artist, but audience members as well,” she said. “I’ve felt the power of it as I toured my first solo show titled, ‘Demerara Gold’, beginning in 2014.”

Griffith said the variety of characters that she portrays in ‘Unbossed & Unbowed’ have strong voices and valid points-of-view, from her parents to the local and national leaders, reporters, some recognizable names.

“And I’ve followed through on my own narrative to deliver the protagonist’s message,” she said. “I believe this project and Shirley Chisholm’s story will inspire others, especially women to define themselves in a world that seeks to define them.

“Shirley Chisholm’s childhood experience greatly influenced what Shirley became passionate about,” she added. “Her immigrant parents arrived from the Caribbean to the US in the early 1920s.  By the end of the decade came the depression years; and, in order to make ends meet, they decided to send three-year-old Shirley and her younger siblings to live with their maternal grandmother in Barbados.”

Griffith said her hope is that this story will make audiences redefine personal success and see the power of social commitment.

“I hope it will inspire the disenfranchised and connect to people who benefit from the status quo, helping them to examine the flaws in our system and reconsider what’s best for humankind and our world as a whole,” she said, disclosing that this project started in 2015 — 2 ½ years of research, 2 ½ years of writing, workshopping and rewriting.

“In 2020, the script was completed, then COVID hit,” added Griffith, who has been performing the show live for the past three years to audiences of all ages across the country and abroad.

“It’s been a grass roots effort and a labor of love that’s gaining traction, winning awards and empowering audiences,” she continued. “The show has visuals and music. ‘Unbossed & Unbowed’ will inspire audiences to vote on Nov. 5th, participate in the political system and become more civic-minded.”

Free Youth Education Screening takes place on Friday, Sept. 20, 12:30 p.m. Regular General Audience Shows take place the next day, Saturday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

BRIC House is located at 647 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, New York.

For more information, contact Joe Wiggins at 917-455-1122, or email: [email protected]