In 1972, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm campaigned at Mills College in Oakland as a candidate for the President of the United States. Then a student, Congresswoman Barbara Lee saw Chisholm and became inspired by her; the first woman and African American to run for president.
“That’s how I got involved in politics,” Lee reminisced. “I started working on her campaign. I do have a great role model as a woman.”
After she graduated from Mills College in 1973, Lee went to the University of California, Berkeley, and earned her Master’s degree in Social Welfare in 1975. While working toward her graduate degree, Lee founded a community mental health center in Berkeley and ran her own business.
She went on to serve in the California State Assembly from 1990–1996, and the California State Senate from 1996–1998. She replaced U.S. Representative Ronald Dellums in a special election in the spring of ’98, and currently represents the 9th Congressional District of California, which includes Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Piedmont.
On March 5, 2002, Lee is on the ballot for a third term and is more determined than ever to serve her constituents. Lee has secured a place on the Financial Services Committee and wants to continue her work for women who own their own businesses. She is developing an economic stimulus package that includes jobs, affordable housing, extending unemployment benefits and increasing Social Security benefits without privatization. Lee recognizes that women often earn lower wages than men do which in turn means that their benefits are lower too.
As a woman and an African American, Lee has had to overcome various hurdles in her life. “We all have glass ceilings — women, African Americans, women of color,” she said. “Nothing is easy and we have to stand up for what we believe in and fight for what’s right.”
And stand up and fight is exactly what Lee has been doing. Last September, Lee cast the only vote against enabling President Bush, without any congressional oversight, to, in her words, “go to war for an unlimited number of years, against any nation, organization or individual that they (the U.S. government) deemed responsible for 9/11.”
“I never said that I did not want to bring the perpetrators of this horrific act to justice,” continued Lee. “This resolution I voted against was unduly broad and vague, and gave too much power and authority to the president,” she explained. “That was not right.” Constitutionally, Congress is the only entity in government that can legally declare war.
Lee noted that the resolution was passed only three days after the attack, with very little debate. She also emphasized the fact that she did vote for measures that helped the families and communities of the victims as well as resolutions that condemned the attacks and reactions to Arab Americans.
“We should be the ones who say, ‘Let’s step back from this for a moment. Let’s urge the use of restraint.’ Let’s make sure that our actions don’t allow any reaction to spiral out of control because we don’t want to see any more violence, and any more innocent people killed. My constituents understand that,” she continued. “And I stand by that vote.”
“These times are very tough for everyone but we cannot let fear immobilize us,” she cautioned. “We cannot let fear keep us from talking about the issues and debating, and offering a different point of view. That’s the American way, that’s the patriotic way.” Lee said she received over 65,000 emails, letters and phone calls — the majority of which were overwhelmingly supportive of her dissenting vote.
Lee has good reason to remind her constituents of the need for debate and discussion. She cited a bill that was passed on Oct. 23 last year and signed by the president two days later, H.R. 3162, the USA PATRIOT Act.
The act limits judicial oversight of electronic surveillance and allows the government greater access to citizens via wiretapping and through the Internet. It also permits indefinite detention of immigrants and other non-U.S. citizens. (A comprehensive review and full text of the USA PATRIOT Act can be found at the ACLU website: www.aclu.org/safeandfree/index.html).
The Congressional Record shows that Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc., requested that the rules be suspended and that the Act be passed without delay and debate. The bill was subsequently passed by a 357–66 vote, with nine representatives not voting. Lee voted against it. (Local representatives who voted for the act include Nancy Pelosi and Ellen Tauscher).
“That’s one of the bills that people have got to look at and say, ‘How did you get away with that?’” Lee exhorted. “The American public doesn’t even have a chance to respond. This is one of the most undemocratic processes that I have seen since I have been here.”
It seems that Lee is well on her way to making a place in history and will surely become a role model for other young women and men who want to make a difference in the world. Perhaps in the future, the president of the United States will reflect back on her youth and say that Congresswoman Barbara Lee influenced and inspired her to get into politics.
If you would like more information about Congresswoman Lee and her campaign, visit her website at www.house.gov/lee/index.htm or contact her district office in Oakland at (510) 763-0370.
source: http://www.babwnews.com 10mar02
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