Truth to Power: Barbara Lee Speaks for Me

By Abby Ginzberg

Truth to Power: Barbara Lee Speaks for Me tells the complex story of Representative Barbara Lee, a steadfast voice for human rights, peace and equality in the U.S. Congress who cut her teeth as a volunteer for the Black Panther Party and was the lone voice in opposition to the broad authorization of military force after the September 11th attacks. In 2001, she issued a prescient warning in the House of Representatives: “Let us not become the evil we deplore,” and today she continues that clarion call, demanding that Congress stand up to a president who has escalated tensions with numerous foreign governments, while seeding division within his own country. With special access to a sitting member of Congress, this film not only introduces the public to Barbara Lee, but to many others such as Rep. John Lewis, Senator Cory Booker, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Actor Danny Glover, CNN commentator Van Jones, and author Alice Walker share insights about what makes Barbara Lee unique as a public servant and as a truth-telling African American woman.