The organization to elevate Black women’s leadership and voting power is the latest to throw its support behind Lee

OAKLAND, CA — Today, Congresswoman and U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Lee announced she has received the endorsement of Higher Heights for America.

Higher Heights for America was founded in 2011 to grow Black women’s political power from the voting booth to elected office. Designed as a response to the lack of organizing resources for politically active Black women and support for those considering elected office, the organization seeks to expand Black women’s voting participation and increase their elected representation by creating pathways for Black women to vote, run, win, and lead.

“Barbara Lee has been a leader for Black women for decades,” said Glynda C. Carr, president and CEO of Higher Heights for America PAC.  “From breaking barriers as the first Black cheerleader at her high school to being an outspoken advocate for justice in the halls of the U.S. House, she has been a critical voice in advancing progressive policy. We know she will continue that fight in the U.S. Senate. Electing Barbara Lee to the U.S. Senate is an important step toward building a democracy that is truly reflective of the people and sends an important message that the voices of Black women deserve to be heard. We are proud to endorse her for U.S. Senate.”

“I’m honored to be endorsed by Higher Heights. Our elected body should look like us, and the work they are doing is instrumental to building a more inclusive and more representative democracy and country,” said Lee. “I’m running for U.S. Senate because we need a leader with a record of fighting for and delivering justice. That’s what I’ve done my entire life, and I won’t back down now. In the U.S. Senate, I’ll use my lived experience as a Black woman to move forward policies that build a more progressive future for us all and that give everyone a seat at the table.”

Higher Height’s endorsement of Lee’s Senate bid follows endorsements by voting rights activist Stacy Abrams and progressive leaders Congressman Ro Khanna and Congresswomen Pramila Jayapal and Ayanna Pressley.

Lee’s campaign for U.S. Senate continues to build a long and growing list of supporters, including Attorney General Rob Bonta, Treasurer Fiona Ma, Controller Malia Cohen, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Congressmembers Jim Clyburn (SC), Jamaal Bowman (NY), Steven Horsford (NV), Bennie Thompson (MI), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ), Lucy McBath (GA), Terri Sewell (AL), Troy Carter (LA), and Gregory Meeks (NY), former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Cedric Richmond, State Senators Susan Talamantes Eggman, Anna Caballero and Nancy Skinner, Assemblymembers Mia Bonta and Corey Jackson, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, Redlands Mayor Eddie Tejeda, Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson, former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Palm Desert Mayor Pro Tem Karina Quintanilla, Dolores Huerta, California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus Chair Deepa Sharma, California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus Chair Amar Shergill, and California Democratic Party LGBTQ Caucus Co-Chair Tiffany Woods.

Lee also has the backing of the Alameda County Building and Construction Trades Council, California Legislative Black Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, Feminist Majority PAC, and Black Women Organized for Political Action PAC.

There are currently no Black women serving in the U.S. Senate. In the nearly 240 years since the Senate first met, only two African American women have been in the Senate, serving a total of 10 years.