Biography
Early Life
Barbara Lee was born Barbara Jean Tutt on July 16, 1946, in El Paso, Texas. Her early life was marked by racial discrimination and hardship. Her mother, Adaire, was forced to give birth in a hallway when the segregated hospital refused to assist her labor and delivery. This traumatic experience left Barbara with a scar above her eye. The scar is a lasting reminder of the injustices she would face. Her father, Garvin Tutt, was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. Because they were a military family, they moved frequently. They encountered segregation wherever they went. Lee recalls being denied entry to theaters and restaurants simply because of her race.
Lee was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools taught by the Sisters of Loretto. She was the only African American Girl Scout in El Paso. Lee’s family moved to San Fernando, California, in 1960. Racial barriers persisted. She married Carl Lee, a U.S. Air Force member, shortly after high school. She moved to England with him. The couple had two children. Lee was divorced by age 20. She returned to California as a single mother. She relied on public assistance to provide for her children while she attended Mills College.
Lee became a student leader and president of the Black Student Union. She met Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress. This encounter inspired Lee to register to vote. Hearing Chisholm speak solidified Lee’s passion for politics. She worked on Chisholm’s 1972 presidential campaign and served as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention.
Lee pursued a master’s degree in Social Work at the University of California, Berkeley. As a graduate student, she founded the Community Health Alliance for Neighborhood Growth and Education (CHANGE). This was a mental health clinic for underserved communities. Her education, activism, and resilience laid the foundation for her lifelong commitment to justice and equality.
Religious Faith & Activism
Lee began her career working for the Glendale Welfare Council. Around this time, she also volunteered at the Oakland Chapter of the Black Panther Party’s Community Learning Center and helped with Bobby Seale’s 1973 mayoral campaign. The FBI kept her under surveillance because of her work with the Black Panthers.
She later got an internship in the office of Representative Ron Dellums, who represented Oakland. Her dedication led to a full-time job in his office. She eventually became his Chief of Staff. Lee was one of the few African American women in a senior Congressional position.
Lee was elected to the California State Assembly in 1990. She made history as the first African American woman to represent Northern California in the state legislature. Lee wrote 67 bills that became law during her tenure. These bills included the California Schools Hate Crimes Prevention Act and the California Violence Against Women Act. She also challenged California’s harsh “three-strikes” law and supported LGBTQ+ rights when few politicians did. Lee’s leadership led to her election to the California State Senate in 1996. She won a special election in 1998 and moved to the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.
Voting Against War
Lee gained national attention as a U.S. Representative in 2001. She was the only member of Congress to vote against the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. She believed the resolution gave the president too much unchecked power to declare war. Lee was also the only member of Congress to vote against the war in Afghanistan. Her vote sparked both support, media backlash, and death threats. Despite the risks, she remained steadfast in her belief that diplomacy should take precedence over military action. When the L.A. Times asked later if she ever regretted this vote, Lee responded, “No way. I did a lot of thinking about that. I talked to constitutional lawyers about that. I’m a person of faith. I prayed over that.”
For the next twenty years, Lee used multiple approaches to try to stop the war. She lobbied Congress members to repeal the authorization for military force. She asked the next president to phase out the fighting. She fought to bring U.S. troops home.
Legislative Initiatives to Promote Peace, Diplomacy, and Establish the U.S. Department of Peace
In line with her lifelong dedication to peace, Lee co-sponsored and co-wrote (with Ohio Democrat Rep. Dennis Kucinich) the Department of Peace legislation. It was introduced to Congress on July 11, 2001. The proposed U.S. Department of Peace would create a cabinet-level position—the Director of Peace. This director would be tasked with ensuring that conflict resolution and peaceful strategies were considered and pursued before military intervention. and sponsored Advocacy efforts have been led by organizations like the Peace Alliance. Lee voted against the 2002 Iraq War Resolution. She proposed the Lee Amendment to promote alternatives to war, such as weapons inspections, negotiations, and diplomatic actions. The bill, now known as H.R. 808: Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2013, has been reintroduced several times. In July 2014, Lee addressed Peace Alliance members in July 2014. She underscored the critical need to bring “peace and peacebuilding to the center of our foreign and domestic policy.”
Lee has championed issues such as HIV/AIDS awareness, women’s rights, and ending endless wars throughout her career. She did not seek House re-election. She is the current mayor of Oakland, CA. She remains a leading advocate for justice and equality despite political and legislative challenges.
