Charlene Mitchell was a born activist. When she was nine, her family moved from Cincinnati to Chicago, which became her political classroom. It wouldn’t take her long to start changing things.
That year, Charlene joined the American Youth for Democracy, which introduced her to communist politics. In the 1930s and 40s these politics were staunchly anti-racist. She joined the Communist Party at the age of 16, but by then, she was already a leader.
Mitchell spent her teenage years on the ground organizing in Chicago. She held sit-ins and demonstrations with other adolescents to protest the city’s businesses, which provided subpar service to the Black community.
Decades later, Mitchell’s 1968 candidacy sent shockwaves through the political world. At 38, she was running for the highest office in the land. But she had been training for that race all her life.
Charlene Mitchell’s presidential run was more than a groundbreaking moment for Black women in American politics. Her race challenged the power structures of this nation by holding the country accountable to the people.