Life Story: Barbara Lee (1946– )

Barbara Jean Tutt was born on July 16, 1946, in El Paso, Texas. When her mother, Adaire, gave birth to Barbara, the segregated hospital refused to assist her. They left Adaire in a hallway, and the complicated delivery left Barbara with a scar above her eye.

Barbara’s father was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. military and a veteran of two wars. The family moved frequently for his job. The Tutts often faced racial discrimination in the segregated South. Barbara remembers being turned away from movie theaters and restaurants because she was Black.

The family moved to San Fernando, California in 1960 for her father’s work. Barbara wanted to join the cheerleading squad at her new high school, but she was not allowed to join because of her race. She went to the local NAACP for help and successfully integrated her high school cheerleading team. Barbara still displays a photograph of herself in her cheerleading uniform in her office. 

Barbara married shortly after high school and had two sons, taking her married name Lee. She divorced her husband by the time she turned 20 years old. While raising her children as a single mother, Barbara attended Mills College. She became the president of the college’s Black Student Union and invited Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm to give a speech at Mills College. Meeting Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, inspired her to register to vote. Barbara worked on Shirley Chisholm’s presidential campaign and served as her delegate at the 1972 Democratic National Convention.

After college, Barbara obtained a master’s degree in social work from the University of California, Berkeley. As a graduate student, she founded the Community Health Alliance for Neighborhood Growth and Education (CHANGE). This organization provided mental health services to underserved communities.

Barbara was offered an internship at the office of Congressman Ron Dellums of California. At the end of her internship, he offered her a full-time position and she worked for him for 11 years. When she became his chief of staff, the highest position within an elected official’s office, she was one of the few Black or female staff members in congressional offices.

In 1987, Barbara left Washington, D.C. and returned to the Bay Area of California. She founded a facilities management company, which grew to a staff of over 500.

Her break from politics did not last long. Barbara was elected to the California State Assembly in 1990 and the State Senate in 1996. She introduced legislation that championed Black Americans, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Barbara was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998. 

On September 11, 2001, Barbara arrived at Capitol Hill and learned that a plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York City. Shortly after, she heard people screaming, “Evacuate the building!” She took off her shoes, ran outside, and saw smoke in the distance: the Pentagon had been hit.

The US government wanted to respond quickly to the attacks. Congressional leaders and President George W. Bush decided on a joint resolution, issued by the House and the Senate. It would authorize the use of force against those who had organized the attacks. In discussions, Barbara and others urged restraint. She did not want the United States to head impulsively to war. She did not agree with making major decisions at highly emotional times.

Some members of Congress suggested that Congress formally declare war. Instead, the White House wrote and sent to Congress a draft of an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). Many in Congress were surprised by how much war power the AUMF would grant to the president. Barbara called it unprecedented.

On September 14, 2001, immediately after a major memorial service in Washington, members of Congress returned to Capitol Hill to consider the AUMF. The debate lasted five hours. It was just three days after the attacks, and emotions were running high. Barbara encouraged Congress to be cautious and to think before acting. She later recalled “I could barely speak…I was teary and feeling awful.” She reminded her colleagues of the mistakes of the Vietnam War. She repeated a phrase she heard at the memorial service earlier that day: “Let us not become the evil that we deplore.” When it came time to vote, Barbara was surprised to find she was the only member of Congress to vote against the AUMF.

A group of fellow Democrats encouraged her to change her vote. Some wanted to show a unanimous response. Some worried about Barbara’s safety—with good reason. Over the next few days, she received hate mail and death threats. The Capitol Police said she needed protection and accompanied her everywhere.

In 2002, another AUMF was introduced in Congress, and Barbara proposed an amendment that would call for diplomacy and surveillance over military responses. Her amendment was voted down, and the 2002 AUMF passed, although with a substantial number of no votes.

Over the next two decades in the House of Representatives, Barbara focused on numerous issues, especially related to HIV/AIDS. But she has never lost her focus on the two AUMF’s passed on the wake of September 11. She has regularly introduced bills to sunset or end the AUMFs. Despite her efforts, some experts believe it will be difficult to undo the 2001 AUMF, which provides the authority for ongoing antiterrorism campaigns.

Barbara married Rev. Clyde Oden, Jr. on December 31, 2019. She currently serves in the House of Representatives.

• Capitol Hill: The part of Washington, D.C., where the Capitol building is. Congress works in the Capitol building.
• delegate: A representative for a politician in an election.  
• HIV/AIDS: HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. AIDS is the most serious form of the disease caused by the virus.
• joint resolution: A legislative measure that requires the approval of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP): A civil rights organization that was founded in 1909 and still exists today.
• segregation: The enforced separation of people of different races.