Barbara Lee: 'Renegade for Peace and Justice'

By Ron Cassie  |  The Federick News  |  Link to article
February 10, 2009

Three days after the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee was the only member of Congress who did not vote for giving President George Bush unrestrained authority to wage war against the attackers.

"I thought, 'Wait a minute, against who?'" Lee told the standing room audience at a noon discussion and book signing Monday at the Cultural Arts Center of Frederick County.

"And the right to invade any nation where they may be? This is crazy. Why so fast? Only Congress, according to Constitution, can declare war."

The California representative recently published her memoir, "Renegade for Peace & Justice: Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks for Me," and she recounted her personal and political story before a diverse crowd of clergy, political officials, activists, academics and citizens.

The event was sponsored by the Frederick Arts Council's News and Notables series, and the faith-based Season for Peace and Nonviolence project.

Lee continually related her experience as an African American, as a woman, as a mother and as a social worker to her early activism, as well as her current role as the new head of the Congressional Black Caucus.

"She linked the issue of poverty with the issue of sexism and racism, and all have to be confronted," said Hood professor Hoda Zaki, who teaches a course in African-American feminist thought and brought her class.

During an hour-long discussion and question-and-answer session, Lee spoke of the racism her pregnant mother faced when denied admittance to a hospital, and her own struggles raising her two children as a single mom. She recounted being labeled unpatriotic, and the death threats made against her life after her single dissenting vote.

"A number of my colleagues came up to me beforehand and told me, 'You can't do this' -- not because they disagreed with me, because they knew what the fallout would be, and they were concerned for me," Lee said. "If you look at the record that day, many said the same things I expressed."

Her father served 25 years in the military and her former chief of staff in Washington, Sandre Swanson, now a member of the California state legislature, lost his cousin, Wanda Green, an attendant on Flight 93 on Sept. 11.

"I'm not a pacifist -- I'm tough on terrorism," Lee said, explaining her decision. "Yet, we have a duty and responsibility to uphold the Constitution É and step back and assess what the consequences of our actions will be. Will we create more chaos, more anger, more danger for ourselves? Or will we secure our safety by capturing the terrorists?"

Lee addressed questions about fundraising, poverty, the historical role of racism and sexism in the U.S, the stimulus package, immigration, Shirley Chisholm, the Black Panther Party and political compromise in Washington.

"I knew she was the Lone Ranger, the only one who voted against sending our children to war, where good people were going to get killed," Shirley Grier, of Walkersville, said. "It takes a lot of courage to stand up and say 'no.'"