I was a trailblazing member of Congress whose actions led the way for leaders such as President Barack Obama. In 1972 I became the first person of color to run for president as a Democrat. Who am I?

You may be referring to New York congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, and if you are, I actually worked on one of her campaigns. Dynamic and very impressive person, Excellent speaker, and sad to say, not taken seriously as a candidate (she was a few years ahead of her time). But in a way, it's true that she was part of the process of both female candidates and candidates of color being taken more seriously, and eventually that did lead to successful campaigns such as President Obama's.