This series of video interviews is part of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society's larger project to capture the rich and diverse history of African Americans with the United States Capitol. These congressional recollections will serve as a public archival record of the distinguished legislative service of African American members of Congress and will be an ongoing resource for students, schools, and the general public. It is the Society's hope that these interviews will help to teach youngsters and adults alike about the past, present and future of America's political, cultural and historical heritage. The U.S. Capitol Historical Society thanks Symantec Corporation for its generous support of this program. Interviews with African American Members of Congress : CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE (Subject Bio) Interview Transcript [PDF]

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CHAPTER 1 | What prompted you to enter public service? (2.0 MB)

CHAPTER 2 | How did you transition from grassroots activities to working for Shirley Chisholm's presidential run? (7.1 MB)

CHAPTER 3 | What did you learn from your experience working for Rep. Shirley Chisolm? (1.8 MB)

CHAPTER 4 | How did your background in social work prepare you to enter politics? (7.8 MB)

CHAPTER 5 | How did working for Congressman Ron Dellums prepare you to be a member of Congress? (3.7 MB)

CHAPTER 6 | What were your thoughts the first time you took the oath of office as a member of Congress? (5.4 MB)

CHAPTER 7 | How do you campaign for office and has it changed over the years? (2.3 MB)

CHAPTER 8 | What are your thoughts on the role of partisanship and compromise? (4.6 MB)

CHAPTER 9 | What are your thoughts on the legislation for no permanent military bases in Iraq? (2.4 MB)

CHAPTER 10 | In addition to the black caucus, what are some of the other congressional caucuses on which you serve? (6.8 MB)

SUBJECT BIO :

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

Barbara Lee has represented California's ninth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since April 1998 after she won a special election to succeed Ron Dellums following his retirement. Lee was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1946 and moved with her family to California in 1960. She attended Mills College where she volunteered with the local chapter of the Black Panther Party's Community Learning Center and worked for the presidential nomination campaign of Shirley Chisholm. She earned a master of social work degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1975.

Congresswoman Lee began her political career as an intern in the office of her predecessor, former Congressman and former Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, where she eventually became his Chief of Staff.  Before being elected to Congress, she served in the California State Assembly and in the California State Senate.

As a social worker by profession, she has made it a priority to be an advocate for the people in dealing with the federal bureaucracy. She has aggressively represented the needs of the underserved and vulnerable people in her district and throughout the U.S., vigorously advocating for a wide range of social and economic concerns and bread and butter issues that affect their daily lives. She has earned a reputation as an effective legislator who works in a bipartisan manner to achieve results in congressional committees. In 2008, Lee authored a book about her life experiences, Renegade for Peace & Justice: A Memoir of Political and Personal Courage.

Representative Lee was interviewed in the offices of the United States Capitol Historical Society on May 3, 2011. Major portions of that interview are presented here in video clips. The video segments and transcript are jointly copyrighted by the U.S. Capitol Historical Society and the Heritage Series LLC and may not be used for any purposes other than research without the express written permission of both USCHS and the Heritage Series