It depicts the 1972 presidential run of Shirley Chisholm, who was the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress.

The film stars Regina King in the title role, alongside Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson, Michael Cherrie, André Holland, and Terrence Howard.

In February 2021, it was announced that a biographical film based on the life and career of Shirley Chisholm was in development, with Regina King cast in the eponymous role and John Ridley directing and writing the screenplay.

[1][2] In December 2021, Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, André Holland, Terrence Howard, Christina Jackson, Michael Cherrie, Dorian Missick, Amirah Vann, W. Earl Brown, and Ethan Jones Romero joined the cast.

The website's consensus reads: "Regina King does a stellar job in Shirley's title role, imbuing this fairly standard biopic with the heart and soul its subject so richly deserves.