{"id":248692,"date":"2026-04-02T16:35:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/248692\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T16:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:35:15","slug":"oakland-mayor-barbara-lee-reflects-on-decades-of-public-service-in-jackie-speier-lecture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/248692\/","title":{"rendered":"Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee Reflects on Decades of Public Service in Jackie Speier Lecture\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jackie<\/p>\n

Federal-lawmakers-turned-local-electeds Jackie Speier \u201976 and Barbara Lee explore how experience, activism, and courage shape effective leadership, offering students a window into the real-world challenges and responsibilities of public service.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Barbara Lee reflected on a career spanning Congress and now Oakland mayor, highlighting lessons from activism, policy, and public service in a conversation with alumna, former Congress member and current San Mateo County Supervisor Jackie Speier \u201976.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lee discussed the importance of principled decision-making, including her stand against broad executive military authority after 9\/11.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The lecture emphasized mentorship, civic engagement, and inspiring the next generation of law and community leaders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speaking at UC Law San Francisco, former U.S. Representative Barbara Lee reflected on a warning she issued nearly 25 years ago \u2014 one that resonates today as the Iran war dominates headlines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Barbara<\/p>\n

Barbara Lee tells UC Law SF students how concerns about separation of powers informed her decision to oppose broad executive war authority after the 9\/11 terror attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018This is going to set the stage for forever wars,\u2019\u201d Lee recalled. \u201cThis is giving any president the authority to go to war in perpetuity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Just three days after the September 11 attacks, Lee cast the only vote in Congress against a measure granting broad presidential authority for the use of military force. Now serving as Oakland mayor, she discussed that decision and more in a conversation with former U.S. Representative Jackie Speier \u201976, who now serves on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The March 24 event was the most recent installment of the \u201cJackie Speier Lecture on Women and the Law,\u201d which aims to amplify the voices of women leaders and inspire future generations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lee traced her commitment to justice to her youth in Southern California, where she worked with the NAACP to successfully challenge a policy that excluded nonwhite girls from her high school cheerleading squad.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Later as a student at Mills College, she raised two children while relying on public assistance, often bringing them to class with her because she couldn\u2019t afford child care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how I raised my kids,\u201d Lee said, explaining her opposition to cutting safety-net programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A turning point came when she met Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress and a 1972 candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Chisholm encouraged Lee to vote and get engaged in politics \u2014 advice Lee now shares with young people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Jackie<\/p>\n

Jackie Speier \u201976 asks Barbara Lee how her civil rights advocacy, community activism, and economic hardship as a young mother shaped her approach to lawmaking, politics, and leadership.<\/p>\n

Lee also supported the Black Panther Party\u2019s community service programs, including a free breakfast program, and later worked on party co-founder Bobby Seale\u2019s 1973 mayoral campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lee said those experiences shaped her belief in government\u2019s responsibility to meet people\u2019s basic needs \u2014 a perspective that guided her in Congress.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Sept. 11, Lee recalled evacuating the Capitol and seeing smoke rise from the Pentagon. Though shaken and angry, her background in psychology and social work gave her pause when asked to approve expansive presidential war powers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t make critical decisions in the midst of turmoil, anger, or grieving,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After efforts to limit the authorization for military force failed, Lee voted no \u2014 alone. She faced death threats and was labeled unpatriotic but also received support from leaders including Desmond Tutu and Coretta Scott King.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Barbara<\/p>\n

Jackie Speier \u201976 and Barbara Lee describe working with political opponents in a divided Congress \u2014 showing how unlikely alliances can turn urgent ideas into polices that expand rights, advance justice, and save lives.<\/p>\n

Despite political divisions, both Democrats emphasized bipartisan collaboration. Speier cited her work with a Republican colleague on sexual harassment policy reform for House members and staff, while Lee pointed to her partnership with George W. Bush on the global HIV prevention and treatment program PEPFAR, which has saved more than 25 million lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything George Bush stood for, I was against,\u201d Lee said. \u201cBut I talked to him about helping me save lives \u2026 I wrote PEPFAR. He signed it into law.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now serving as Oakland\u2019s first Black woman mayor, Lee said she draws on decades of experience to address challenges from public safety to homelessness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing mayor, you just garner everything that you have learned over the years,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She pointed to signs of progress, including declining crime rates, a bustling food scene, and a growing cultural profile, with artists and athletes including filmmaker Ryan Coogler and Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu calling Oakland home.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Barbara<\/p>\n

After the talk, Barbara Lee and Jackie Speier \u201976 meet with UC Law San Francisco students, posing for photos and encouraging them to pursue purpose-driven legal careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur trajectory is going in the right direction,\u201d Lee said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speaking to law students, Lee and Speier urged them to use their degrees to make an impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA law degree gives you an opportunity to do a lot, whether it\u2019s corporate, criminal, research, or teaching,\u201d Lee said. \u201cYou can use it for what you think the world needs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Lee, hope lies in the same place her own journey began: giving young people the type of encouragement she received as a college student from the legendary Shirley Chisolm.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with young people is really amazing because they see very clearly what the issues are \u2026 how we have not lived up to our creed of liberty and justice for all,\u201d Lee said. \u201cHelping them see why they have to be engaged on some level \u2026 that gives me a lot of hope.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Federal-lawmakers-turned-local-electeds Jackie Speier \u201976 and Barbara Lee explore how experience, activism, and courage shape effective leadership, offering students…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":248693,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-248692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248692\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}