Barbara Lee (1946- )
Barbara Jean Lee, born in Texas in 1946, moved to California in 1960 with her mother and sisters after her parents divorced. They lived in a suburb of Los Angeles, where Lee attended San Fernando High School and collaborated with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) while there to break down the racial barriers she faced at her school, becoming the first African American cheerleader at her school. Lee faced many difficulties earlier in her life, including divorcing and becoming a single mother of two at 20 years old, struggling to support her family while pursuing an education, and even experiencing homelessness for a time. Persevering through her trying circumstances, Lee graduated with her Bachelor’s from Mills College in Oakland and her Master of Social Work from the University of California at Berkeley in 1975.
Lee successfully ran for a seat in the California State Assembly in 1990 and later the State Senate during the 8 years she served in the California State Legislature. She focused on legislation concerning the safety of women and children and the economic and social welfare of African Americans. She made history again several times when she became the first African American woman to represent Northern California in its State Assembly, Senate, and U.S. Congress.
While representing the East Bay congressional districts in the U.S. Congress House of Representatives from 1998 to 2025, Lee chaired the Congressional Black Caucus, became a founding member of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, and worked with President George W. Bush to minimize HIV/AIDS spread by authoring the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which was signed into law in 2003. Currently serving as the Mayor of Oakland since 2025, Lee is the first Black woman to hold this position.
