who was the first african american to run for president of the united states
African-American candidates for President of the United States In 1972, Shirley Chisholm was the first African-American major party candidate for president. She was a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination and participated in the Democratic primaries in numerous states.[9] She campaigned in 12 states and won 28 delegates.[10] In the actual balloting at the 1972 Democratic National Convention, she gained additional votes from disaffected Democrats and ended with 152 delegates.[9]