Rep. Barbara Lee on How Shirley Chisholm Changed Her Life
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On Friday, Netflix released its new film about the late civil rights icon and Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. The trailblazing legislator was not only the first Black woman in Congress but also the first woman to run in the Democratic presidential primary race. However, for California Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Chisholm was more than an icon—she was a dear friend and mentor.
The Root sat down with Rep. Lee for The 411, which will be released on Monday. And she had a lot to say about her late-mentor, who passed away in 2005.
“I miss Shirley a lot,” remarks Rep. Lee, reminiscing about their shared history. “Shirley helped me when I ran for the Assembly, the State Senate, and the House of Representatives.”
Rep. Lee says she’s grateful to the filmmakers and actors who are portraying both Chisholm and herself for bringing awareness to the civil rights icon. “When I came to Congress, there wasn’t even a portrait of her in the Capitol,” she remarks. “I had to fight to get this portrait of her... no one had highlighted her in the congressional record, which I did. No one had introduced a postage stamp with her image, which I did. And so I thought, this is crazy, coming to Congress and this first Black woman who was elected to Congress never had been honored. No one knew about her.”
Rep. Lee, who is probably best known for breaking with her party to be the only vote against the war in Afghanistan, says Chisholm helped shape her into the politician that she is today.
“Christina Jackson, who’s Barbara Lee in the film. She’s like so many young people now who felt, who were smart, but not apathetic, but didn’t want to be bothered with Democrats or Republicans because young people don’t think politics matters,” said Lee. “They don’t think representatives in either party represents their issues, their needs and can do anything.”
Her connection with Chisholm changed her, she says.
“She made me register to vote. I wasn’t even registered to vote,” recalls Rep. Lee. “I was a community worker with the Black Panther Party, bagging groceries, taking care of my two little boys as a single mom on public assistance. Didn’t have money for childcare, Bringing those kids to class with me, my two boys. So you know I’ve been through it.”
She’s hopeful the film will help encourage young people who are in the same place she was at the time to engage with politics and hope for a better future. “If any lessons can learned through Shirley Chisholm, through Regina King or Barbara Lee through Christina Jackson, and if that’ll help provide hope and optimism and engagement, let’s do it,” she says! “I am really up for it.”
