Former Rep. Barbara Lee seeks to make Black ‘Herstory’ with Oakland mayoral run, vows to resist Trump

Lee tells theGrio she is concerned about Black and brown communities being used as “pawns in the Trump administration’s playbook.”

After serving nearly 30 years in the United States Congress, former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee is seeking public office yet again with her campaign to be elected mayor of Oakland. Though Lee, 78, has seen many historical moments up close as a U.S. congresswoman, she could literally make history during next Tuesday’s special election on April 15. If elected by residents in a crowded contest, the Democrat would become the first Black woman to serve as mayor of Oakland.

“The perspective and the background of Black women, and Black people in general, is extremely important,” Lee told theGrio during a recent interview. It wouldn’t be the first time that Lee has made history in Oakland. In 1998, she was the first Black woman elected to represent her California district. “Being the only Black person north of Los Angeles for 27 years, you know, my lens and my perspective was unique,” she shared.

The former congresswoman said she also has experience resisting Trump. It’s a feature she argued will come in handy as the Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from state and local leaders if they do not comply with his agenda. That agenda includes purging governments from backing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in education, health, housing, and beyond.

Lee told theGrio she is particularly concerned about the Trump administration’s efforts to enact mass deportations and how the issue is being used as a wedge between immigrant communities and Black and brown communities.

“We have a large immigrant community here in Oakland, and I want to make sure that their playbook of divide and conquer does not surface here in…We have a variety of communities, Black and brown communities, that could be used as pawns in the Trump administration’s playbook,” she said. “We’re going to have to make sure that the city stays unified and not allow the divisiveness of the Trump administration to seep in.”

Lee recalled attending detention camps as a member of the House Appropriations Committee to investigate Trump during his first term when his administration implemented its controversial family separation policy. “I know this administration and what they do to people, and how disgusting and how scary and how dangerous they are.” She continued, “We’re a sanctuary city here in Oakland…We know that he will and is threatening to withdraw federal funds. He’s dismantling the federal government. So who better knows than somebody who had to live through his reign for four years?”

The progressive Democrat decried the actions taken by the Trump administration in less than 100 days in office, including making major cuts to social programs and purging programs and policies related to DEI and LGBTQ+ equality.

“The federal government is the protector of our civil and human rights of last resort. And as I watch what this administration is doing, I am horrified at how they’re trying to devalue people,” said Lee. She told theGrio she is especially concerned about what she sees as Trump’s gradual pursuit of authoritarian control of the federal government.

“I’m concerned people don’t understand the nature of authoritarianism. And before you know it, if we don’t really push back hard politically, especially to take back this House [of Representatives], we’ll wake up one day, and democracy will be gone, and so that is terrifying,” she shared, adding that Trump and Republicans are, in the words of former Trump advisor and conservative provocateur Steve Bannon, “moving on all fronts…to dismantle the administrative state.”

Though Lee is known for her progressive and, at times, militant stance on policy issues—like being the only member of Congress to vote against President George W. Bush’s war on Afghanistan in 2001—she framed her decades-long experience in Congress and the California state legislature as a consensus builder. “There’s a chance to bring people together to solve problems,” Lee said, noting that she received endorsements from seemingly conflicting groups in various sectors.

“The business community, Oakland Chamber of Commerce has endorsed me, but also the labor unions have endorsed me,” said the mayoral candidate. “People who were against the recall have endorsed me. People who supported the recall have endorsed me. I have tenants and landlords.”

Lee said that, ultimately, she is laser-focused on the issues Oaklanders say they care most about, which are public safety, affordability, economic investment and jobs, and housing costs.

Regardless of the likely barriers ahead for Oakland, which is facing a budget crisis and potential divestments from the federal government, Lee said, if elected mayor, she vows to “fight” for Oakland.

“This is all hands on deck, and it would be an all-hands-on-deck effort on my part as mayor to make sure we did fill those gaps,” said Lee, who said “democracy prevails at the local level.”

Lee said voters are already “beginning to see” the connections between Trump’s agenda, led by billionaire advisor Elon Musk, and his DOGE service, and the clear divide between the wealthy and everyone else.

“It’s becoming clear with Musk there, and what he is doing for his own business interests, and what he is doing to dismantle…Medicaid, Social Security…when you look at SNAP benefits,” said Lee. “When you look at everything that people need who aren’t wealthy, that’s the playbook that I see happening here in Oakland and throughout the country.”