Rep. Barbara Lee: “Time for us to regroup”
It is a day to celebrate, said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). She was dressed in a chiffon fuchsia top and black dress. Lee was one of about 600 people gathered at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s gala at the Capitol Hilton. Her hair was pinned up and she bounced as the DJ played an Alicia Keys hit in the background.
But Lee’s mind was clearly back in the office. What was she thinking about?
“The significance of having our first black president being sworn in for a second time on King’s birthday, 150 years after emancipation, the convergence of all this together is important for us to celebrate,” Lee said. “But it is also time for us to regroup. When you look at unemployment in the black community, it is 14 percent. When you look at poverty — which started before our president was elected — we have a lot of work to do. Today really reminds us of the work that has been done before us.”
Congresswoman Lee was profiled as part of the Washington Posts's liveblog on the 57th Presidential Inauguration in January 2013.