official shot from U.S. House of Representatives via WikipediaCongresswoman Barbara Jean Lee (born July 16, 1946) represents the 13th Congressional District (which includes Oakland) in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a Democrat who has held this office since 1998. Ms. Lee was the first woman to represent the district.

Always a strong voice, Congresswoman Lee was the only member of either the Senate or the House (420-1) that voted against giving the president a "blank check" for military force after the attacks on September 11, 2001. She believed the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) was overly broad. 1 For this (i think it was for this?) she earned a bumper sticker that can be seen around town: "Barbara Lee Speaks for Me."

Barbara Lee attended Mills College (where she volunteered with the Black Panthers 1) in Oakland, followed by enrollment at UC Berkeley where she earned a Master in Social Work.

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According to her newsletter, 4/24/13 marks the 15th anniversary of Barbara Lee being elected to Congress in a special election.

Barbara Lee was the recipient of the East Bay Express Best Politician Readers' Poll Award in 2014 and 2015.

Links and References

  1. Angry Letters to the One Member of Congress Who Voted Against the War on Terror The Atlantic September 14, 2014
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