John, I wanted to take some time today to tell you a little bit more about me and the experiences that fuel my fight for racial justice each and every day.

I've faced some incredible hardships in my life. Long before I was one of the highest-ranking Black women in Congress, I was the little girl that you see in this picture below:

Growing up in the segregated South, I couldn't drink from the same water fountain as my white peers. But that little girl went on to become president of Mills College's Black Student Union and had the honor of listening to Rep. Shirley Chisholm – our nation's FIRST African American congresswoman – address our group. I knew that she was the kind of person I wanted to follow.

So I signed up to work on Congresswoman Chisholm's historic presidential campaign, and I had the honor of being mentored by her over the years.

But Congresswoman Chisholm told me to dream bigger – so I did:

I went on to become the first Black woman elected to the state Senate from Northern California. And in Congress, I've championed the voices of marginalized communities – fighting injustices against people of color, addressing LGBTQ+ inequality and combating violence against women.

Now, I'm running to become just the third Black woman ever elected to the Senate – and I'm running to win. With your grassroots support, we can do just that. 

That's why I'm personally asking, John: Will you give $5 or more to power our progressive movement to victory and build a country that works for all of us?

Thank you for reading my story and for being part of our progressive movement.

– Barbara Lee