Regina Kingis bringingShirley Chisholmto life.
In the first trailer for theupcoming Netflix movieShirley, King steps into the shoes of the first Black woman to be elected to Congress.
Chisholm’s uphill battle and obstacles to win a seat in Congress as the daughter of a Barbados-born maid and a Guyanese laborer are illustrated in the film’s sneak peek, along with her struggles to navigate Congress alongside her White male colleagues.
The film chronicles groundbreaking moments from her life, including her “audacious, boundary-breaking 1972 presidential campaign," according to a synopsis.
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Regina King as Shirley Chisholm and Lucas Hedges as Robert Gottlieb in Shirley.Glen Wilson/Netflix
Glen Wilson/Netflix
King, who has spent 15 years working with sister to develop the film, said bringing Chisholm’s story to film was an important feat.
Regina King as Shirley Chisholm in Shirley.Glen Wilson/Netflix
“It was always a little disheartening for Reina and I to have so many people over the years of our lives not know who Shirley Chisholm was,”King previously toldHarper’s Bazaar. “What she did was so pioneering. She was a true maverick and, you know, we use this term all the time, but she was a true first.”
The Oscar winner also said they decided to release the film in an election year as they thought it would make for a more “impactful” release.
“As a team, we felt that is probably the best way we could possibly honor Shirley: to release her in a space that she created for herself.”
Shirleyis on Netflix March 22.
source: people.com
