Barbara Lee speaks for me.

Two American women, Jane Addams and Barbara Lee, lived almost a century apart and came from very different backgrounds. Nonetheless, both women devoted their lives to ending war and to bringing justice and a better life to the most vulnerable in our society--immigrants, minorities, and women. A statement by Jane Addams reflects the strength and determination of both women: "What, after all, has maintained the human race on this old globe, despite all the calamities of nature, and all the tragic failings of mankind, if not faith in new possibilities and courage to advocate them?"

The WILPF National Congress in Chapel Hill honored Congresswoman Barbara Lee for her remarkable bravery and tenacity, for dedicating her career to the fight for a lasting peace, and for social and economic justice, with the following resolution:

WILPF U.S. honors California Congresswoman Barbara Lee for her courage in 2001 in being the only member of Congress to vote against giving President Bush unlimited power to attack any individual, organization, or country without Congressional approval. In the wake of the tragedy of 9/11, Congresswoman Lee stood up for hope and for democracy. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to end war and redirect our resources to peace, justice and equality.

Barbara Lee was born in El Paso, Texas in 1946. Raised in a segregated community, Barbara soon learned the importance of fighting for equality and standing up for one's beliefs. Moving to California in 1960, she attended San Fernando High School, where, with help from the NAACP, she successfully challenged a school district policy that prevented her from trying out for the cheerleading team based on her race. She became the first black cheerleader in the history of her school district.

Barbara was president of the Black Students' Association at Mills College in Oakland, California, and was later involved in Shirley Chisholm's campaign for President of the United States. As the first African American woman to run for President, Representative Chisholm was an inspiration to Barbara and remained a friend and mentor for many years.

After working as a clinical psychologist, Barbara decided she wanted to get more involved in electoral politics. She became a congressional intern for then-Congressman Ron Dellums. During her ten years working for the Congressman, she worked in Washington, D.C. and in the Oakland district office, eventually becoming Administrative Assistant.

In 1990, Barbara was elected to the California State Assembly and, six years later, she was elected to the State Senate. Her legislative efforts focused on issues such as women's rights, education, public safety, environmental protection, labor, and health. She worked to develop closer ties to African and Carribbean nations, which she continues to focus on today.

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When Congressman Dellums retired in February 1998, Barbara Lee ran successfully to succeed her former boss, representing the 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has been re-elected six times since 1998 and has proven to be an effective leader in the United States Congress, championing legislation to bring universal healthcare to uninsured Americans, fight poverty, and eradicate HIV/AIDS.

Throughout her political career, Barbara has been a strong and unwavering voice for peace. On September 14, 2001, three days after the attacks on New York and Washington, the United States Congress voted almost unanimously to cede to the President its constitutional power to declare war. The only member of Congress to vote against the resolution was Barbara Lee.

Representative Lee warned that rushing to launch a military response to the attacks of September 11th could cost thousands of innocent lives and would repeat past mistakes of embarking "on an open-ended war with neither an exit strategy nor a focused target"--prophetic words indeed! Ten years, hundreds of thousands of deaths, and trillions of dollars later, the United States is now involved in wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Libya--with neither an exit strategy nor a focused target.

In 2007, Congresswoman Lee successfully blocked funding to establish permanent military bases in Iraq. In 2008, she was elected Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and is a member and former Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus. In 2009, she stood alone in casting the only vote against authorizing the use of military force in Iraq.

In 2010 and 2011, she voted to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, and voted in favor of similar resolutions involving troop withdrawal from Pakistan and Libya. This year, she worked with the Progressive Caucus to write "The People' s Budget," a progressive alternative budget (http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=70), and with the Congressional Black Caucus to develop a "For the People" Jobs Initiative (http://thecongressionalblackcaucus.com/issues/jobs-initiative/). She has also written a personal memoir, entitled Renegade for Peace and Justice: A Memoir of Political and Personal Courage.

Sandy is Treasurer and Membership Chair of East Bay WILPF and lives in Oakland, CA.