Uzo Aduba to Portray First African American Congresswoman in Upcoming Series ‘Mrs America’

Nigerian-American actress, Uzo Aduba is slated to portray the first African American Congresswoman, Shirley Chisholm, in a new FX series dubbed Mrs America.

.@MsSarahPaulson, @UzoAduba, Rose Byrne, James Marsden join Cate Blanchett in FX drama 'Mrs. America' https://t.co/5qRA4Dz5fK pic.twitter.com/6WGYtJFewA

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 14, 2019

The actress popularly known for her role as Crazy Eyes in the Netflix hit series Orange is the New Black, will be joined by Cate Blanchett as well as Rose Byrne, Kayli Carter, Ari Graynor, Melanie Lynskey, James Marsden, Margo Martindale and Sarah Paulson.

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I haven't stopped thinking about Friday's #Mandela100 celebration. Getting to sit with the leaders of the organizations continuing to promote President Mandela's legacy was a true honor and reminder that each of us, no matter where our starting point, has the distinct power to make a difference.

A post shared by Uzo Aduba (@uzoaduba) on Apr 29, 2019 at 3:56pm PDT

The series will give a clear depiction of the strong opposition faced by Congresswoman Chisholm from a conservative woman named Phyllis Schlafly (Blanchett) due to her movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Not only did Chisholm serve as the first African American woman in Congress she was also the first black woman in the United States to run for a major party’s presidential nomination in 1972.