John, long before I was one of the highest-ranking Black women in Congress and running a historic campaign for U.S. Senate, I was the little girl that you see in this picture:

I've faced some incredible hardships in my life. Growing up in the segregated South, I couldn't drink from the same water fountain as my white peers. And as a teenager with no access to the reproductive health care I needed in the U.S., I had to travel from my home in California to Mexico to receive a back-alley abortion.

But these are the experiences that fueled my fight for justice early on. So when there were no Black cheerleaders at my high school, I worked with the NAACP and earned my spot as the school’s first Black cheerleader.

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 – from fighting injustices against people of color to addressing LGBTQ+ inequality to combating violence against women.

Now, I'm running to become just the third Black woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate, where there are no Black women serving today – but we have an uphill climb ahead of us:

The Washington Post is reporting that I'm at a serious fundraising disadvantage compared to others in this race, which is shaping up to be the most expensive Senate primary in history.

But I know that with your grassroots support, we can pull ahead and win. 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