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“Renegade for Peace & Justice”

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

o doubt, you were glued to the news for much of the fall.

Even if you never once paid attention to politics, this year’s election and all that went with it had you near-hypnotized. Though you don’t exactly have a warm feeling for politics-as-usual, you couldn’t get enough this year.Come March, though, you’ll probably slide back into that old familiar level of political indifference, just because you don’t feel like paying heed anymore.

Would it make any difference if you knew somebody in Washington had your back? Read the new book “Renegade for Peace & Justice” by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and you might breathe a puff of relief.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s story starts with racism: her mother, when giving birth to Lee, was nearly turned away at the hospital because of the color of her skin. Lee, therefore, was a victim of racism literally at birth and because of that and her many life experiences, she is a tireless champion of human causes.

Raised in part by her maternal Grandfather, a man who demanded excellence, Lee says she knew that education was the path toward a good future.

But long before college, two teen pregnancies gave Lee a keen understanding of women’s reproductive rights. Married at 16 because of an accidental pregnancy, Lee endured a miscarriage but was quickly pregnant again. Because of her youth and her Air Force husband’s recent departure, Lee made the difficult decision to get an abortion.

A few years later, Lee was a divorced, single mother of two young sons and was on welfare for a short time. She says she remembers what it’s like to get government assistance, and that memory spurs her to fight for the poor and disadvantaged. She also knows what it’s like to be abused, because her second husband was violent.

When she finally was able to go to college, Lee became politically active and joined the Black Panther Party, where she worked toward “righting the wrongs of our society”. As a Congresswoman, she’s introduced bills to help people with HIV and AIDS, and she’s championed the rights of women and children. And in the halls of Congress, Lee is known for standing strong in her beliefs, including one that says we need a Department of Peace in Washington.

Had enough politics for the year? Hold on. “Renegade for Peace & Justice” isn’t completely political in nature. Author and Congresswoman Barbara Lee also tells the story of her life: growing up with a large Latino population, in a Texas version of segregation; being the granddaughter, daughter, and wife of abusing men; getting to know Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, Rosa Parks and Shirley Chisholm; understanding at a young age that there was right and there was wrong, and that wrong could be changed.

If you enjoy a good biography or if you’re a political junkie, you’ll love this book. If can’t bear another minute of politics, pass on it – but you’ll be sorry. “Renegade for Peace & Justice” is a book to pay attention to.

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Department of Peace : 12/9/2008

Just to let you know, the idea to create a cabinet-level Department of Peace and Nonviolence is being voted on right now on www.Change.org The top 10 winning ideas will be presented to the President on 1-20-09 and shared with 10's of millions of people as a featured idea on MySpace. Seriously, if you haven't already, please click on the link below and vote. If you can share the link to the voting site on your internet pages, your newsletter, blog it or email the link to your friends, please take that extra step. Thank you Thank you!!! http://www.change.org/ideas/view/appoint_secretary_of_peace_in_department_of_peace_and_non-violence You can also help by signing up for breaking news alerts by visiting: www.ThePeaceAlliance.org

Ana Campos

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