Trailblazer

The first Black woman ever elected to the Senate. The first woman to represent the state of Illinois. The first Black woman to serve as a U.S Ambassador to New Zealand. These are just a few of the “firsts” that Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun can lay claim to since first entering politics in the 1970s. Since then, the self-processed “Black girl from the South side of Chicago” has been shattering ceilings and making history.

Yet her journey to Congress and to international renown was not an easy one, rife with obstacles, controversies, and lessons learned. In Trailblazer, Moseley Braun shares the full story of her extraordinary life in a fascinating narrative filled with poignant, powerful, and sometimes funny stories. Born into a family with a history of Civil Rights activism and military service dating back to the Civil War, Moseley Braun talks about her childhood in racially segregated Chicago, including:

• Marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Staging a one-woman sit-in when she was refused service at a luncheonette
• Passionately filibustering against the Confederate Flag on the Senate floor
• Running for president as the lone woman in a field of men
• How her unusual encounter with a bird inspired her foray into politics
• The surprising friendships she made throughout her storied career, from Joe Biden to Hillary Clinton

Trailblazer is a story of perseverance, a moving narrative from a once-in-a-generation icon, steeped in the civic and civil rights history of our nation. Carol Moseley Braun offers readers a measure of hope and an optimistic letter to future generations on the work we have done and have yet to do, to ensure that our country lives up to the promise of liberty and justice for all.