Barbara Lee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Barbara Lee
Official portrait, 2025
52nd Mayor of Oakland
Incumbent
Assumed office May 20, 2025
Preceded by	Kevin Jenkins (acting)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California
In office April 21, 1998 – January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Ron Dellums
Succeeded by	Lateefah Simon
Constituency	9th district (1998–2013) 13th district (2013–2023) 12th district (2023–2025)
Caucus positions 2005–⁠2011 Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011 Preceded by Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick Succeeded by Emanuel Cleaver Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2009 Serving with Lynn Woolsey Preceded by Peter DeFazio Succeeded by Raúl Grijalva
Member of the California State Senate from the 9th district
In office December 2, 1996 – April 17, 1998
Preceded by	Nicholas Petris
Succeeded by	Don Perata
Member of the California State Assembly
In office December 3, 1990 – November 30, 1996
Preceded by	Elihu Harris
Succeeded by	Don Perata
Constituency	13th district (1990–1992) 16th district (1992–1996)
Personal details
Born	Barbara Jean Tutt (1946-07-16) July 16, 1946 (age 79) El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Carl Lee ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1966)​ Clyde Oden ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	2
Residences	Oakland, California, U.S.
Education	Mills College (BA) University of California, Berkeley (MSW)

Barbara Lee (born July 16, 1946) is an American politician. She became the 52nd mayor of Oakland in May 2025. Before that, she was a U.S. representative for California from 1998 to 2025. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Lee also served in the California State Legislature from 1990 to 1998. She is known for her strong stance against war and for her work on social issues. She was the only member of Congress to vote against using military force after the September 11 attacks.

Early Life and Education

Barbara Jean Tutt was born on July 16, 1946, in El Paso, Texas. Her father was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. She faced racial discrimination growing up in a segregated hospital and as the only African-American Girl Scout in El Paso.

When she was 14, Lee moved to California with her mother and sisters. She went to San Fernando High School and worked with the NAACP. She became the school's first African-American cheerleader and graduated in 1964.

After high school, Lee married Carl Lee and had two children. She later divorced and became a single mother. She attended Mills College, where she led the Black Student Union. She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1973. She then got a master's degree in social work from the University of California, Berkeley in 1975. During college, she raised her children while on public assistance.

Starting Her Political Journey

Lee began her career working for the Glendale Welfare Council. As a student, she invited Representative Shirley Chisholm to speak at Mills College. Chisholm inspired Lee to get involved in politics. Lee worked on Chisholm's 1972 presidential campaign.

Lee also volunteered at the Black Panther Party's Community Learning Center in Oakland. She helped with Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale's campaign for mayor of Oakland in 1973.

Later, Lee interned for Representative Ron Dellums. She then became his chief of staff. She was one of the few African Americans and women in a senior staff role on Capitol Hill.

Serving in California's Legislature

In 1990, Lee was elected to the California State Assembly. She served three terms there. In 1996, she was elected to the California State Senate. She was the first African-American woman to represent Northern California in the state legislature.

During her time in the Legislature, Lee wrote 67 bills that became law. These included laws to prevent hate crimes in schools and to protect women from violence. She also supported LGBTQ+ rights.

In the U.S. House of Representatives

Lee speaking on the House floor on December 19, 1999.

In 1998, Lee won a special election to the House of Representatives. She took over the seat from Ron Dellums. She was re-elected 12 more times, serving until January 2025. Her district included cities like Oakland and Berkeley. It was known as one of the most Democratic districts in the country.

Lee was known as a progressive leader. She chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus from 2005 to 2009. She also chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 2009 to 2011. She helped start the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus.

Key Issues and Actions

Lee played a big role in the antiwar movement. She spoke out against the Iraq War. She was the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization of force after the September 11 attacks. She believed it gave the president too much power to wage war.

Lee also worked with President George W. Bush to fight HIV/AIDS. This led to the creation of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Views on Foreign Policy

Lee often disagreed with her own party on foreign policy. She voted against military actions in Iraq in 1998 and the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. She believed the U.S. should be careful about going to war.

She supported President Joe Biden's plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. She also supported aid to Ukraine during its invasion by Russia. However, she opposed sending cluster munitions to Ukraine.

Gun Control Advocacy

Lee strongly supports laws to control guns. She took part in a sit-in in the House in 2016. This was to push for new gun safety laws. She said Congress must act to protect Americans from gun violence.

Lee meets with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and the STS-129 Space Shuttle crew in 2010.

Environmental Efforts

In 2018, Lee introduced the Women and Climate Change Act. This bill aimed to create a group to study how climate change affects women. She noted that women are often more vulnerable to environmental changes.

Education Initiatives

Lee authored the Shirley A. Chisholm United States−Caribbean Educational Exchange Act. This act aimed to improve U.S. relations with Caribbean nations. It would help develop programs for schools and teacher training. The bill was named after Shirley Chisholm, who inspired Lee.

Black Panther Party History

Lee volunteered with the Black Panther Party in Oakland in 1968. She also worked on Bobby Seale's mayoral campaign. She believes the Black Panther Party was important to the civil rights movement. She has spoken out against removing funding for projects that tell their history.

Death Penalty Opposition

Lee opposes the death penalty. In 2002, she received an award for her stance against it.

Committee and Caucus Roles

In the House, Lee served on important committees. These included the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on the Budget. She was also a co-chair of the House Democratic Steering Committee.

She was a leader in many groups called caucuses. These included:

• Medicare for All Caucus
• Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity (chair)
• Congressional Caucus on HIV/AIDS (co-chair)
• Congressional Progressive Caucus (former co-chair)
• Congressional Black Caucus (former chair)
• Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus (founding member)
• Congressional Social Work Caucus (chair)

2024 U.S. Senate Campaign

In 2023, Lee decided not to run for re-election to the House. Instead, she ran for a U.S. Senate seat in California. She launched her campaign in February 2023. However, she did not win enough votes in the primary election in March 2024 to move on to the general election. This meant her time in Congress ended in January 2025.

Mayor of Oakland

After leaving Congress, Lee announced she would run for mayor of Oakland. This was for a special election in 2025. The election happened on April 15, 2025. Lee won the election after several rounds of voting.

She was sworn in as mayor of Oakland on May 20, 2025. She is the first Black woman to serve as mayor of Oakland.

Personal Life

Lee married Carl Lee in 1964 and they had two sons, Tony and Craig. They later divorced. She raised her sons as a single mother. Both of her sons now work in the insurance industry.

In 2019, Lee married Rev. Dr. Clyde Oden Jr. They live in Oakland.

Lee has received several awards for her work. In 2002, she received the Courage of Conscience Award for her vote against the call to war after September 11. In 2003, she was recognized as a Woman of Peace. In 2015, she won the 43rd Thomas Merton Award.

Images for kids

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  Results by county for the 2024 U.S. Senate special primary election.

See also

In Spanish: Barbara Lee para niños