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With a nod to her mentor Shirley Chisholm, Rep. Barbara Lee exits Congress as a renegade herself

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., stands beside a portrait of her friend and mentor, Shirley Chisolm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., stands beside a portrait of her friend and mentor, Shirley Chisolm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., stands beside a portrait of her friend and mentor, Shirley Chisolm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

By Lisa Mascaro 6 min read


WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Barbara Lee has always stood apart, a matter-of-fact renegade with a long list of firsts.

In high school, she was the first Black student to integrate her Southern California cheerleading squad.

During the Democrat’s more than two decades in Congress, she has been the only Black woman elected to the House from California’s regions north of Los Angeles.

But it was Lee’s lonely 2001 vote as the only lawmaker against the authorization for the use of military force against those responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks that indelibly set her apart.