John, I have 15 minutes of free time right now. I know that may not sound like a lot – but between traveling up and down California and serving my district in Congress, gaps like this in my schedule are rare.

Today I wanted to use this time to tell you a little more about my decision to run for U.S. Senate. But if you don't have more than a minute to spare, are you able to chip in to my incredibly competitive Senate campaign now?

As a young adult, I never really saw politics as something that could be for me – so I decided that I would instead focus my efforts on community organizing. But that all changed when I met Shirley Chisholm, our nation's first Black congresswoman.

At the time, I was president of the Mills College Black Student Union, and I had invited Congresswoman Chisholm to address our school. Immediately, I was blown away by her story and record – and when she announced she was running for president, I knew that I had to work on her historic campaign.

So I joined her campaign, and Mrs. C put me to work. At the end of it all, I got to cast my vote – my first ever vote – for Shirley Chisholm, a person who genuinely understood the struggles I had lived through and would stop at nothing to fight for my future.  

While under her mentorship, Congresswoman Chisholm gave me advice that would change my life. She told me that I had to get involved in politics myself – that when people refuse to make a place at the table for us, we have to pull up a folding chair instead and make sure it's there to stay. 

And, John, that lesson continues to drive me today. Right now, there are NO Black women in the Senate – and even over the course of our entire nation's history, there have only been two Black women senators. I'm going to change that. 

If you've made it this far, I want to genuinely thank you from the bottom of my heart. With your support, we're going to win this competitive race, and it means the world that you've taken the time to understand me.

But I have to ask, before I need to hop on my next call, will you rush a donation to my Senate campaign now? Here's the best link to give: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/lee-sen-email

All the best,

Barbara