Barbara Lee M.S.W. ’75
Growing up in Texas, Lee encountered “whites-only” drinking fountains, segregated schools, and denied entry to public places — discriminations that fueled her lifelong dedication to public service. Today, whether the Democratic congresswoman is fighting for HIV/AIDS legislation, an end to poverty, or equal rights for all minorities, everything she does is informed by the values she learned at Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare. She is best known for her actions on Sept. 14, 2001. As the World Trade Center still smoldered, Lee was the lone voice out of 421 in the House of Representatives to reject the use of military force against the terrorists. Reflecting on the recent end to the global war on terror, the Daily Beast called her “the most prescient person in Washington.” Her memoir, Renegade for Peace and Justice, is a candid look at the whole person behind the politics and the issues she so intensely champions. Follow Lee on Facebook or Twitter @RepBarbaraLee.