2026 Barbara Boxer Lecture: City, State and Nation - A Conversation with Mayor Barbara Lee

Event graphic: 2026 Boxer Lecture: City, State, and Nation: A conversation with Mayor Barbara Lee, April 7, 2026; Banatao Auditorium, UC Berkeley, CA

Tuesday, April 7, 2026 4:00pm - 5:15pm

IGS and the Bancroft Library are pleased to announce that Barbara Lee, Mayor of Oakland and Former U.S. Representative for California's 12th District, will be in conversation with former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer as the 2026 Barbara Boxer Lecturer.

About the Event:

The 2026 Boxer Lecture will be a thoughtful conversation between Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer with a focus on women in public service leadership, where they will discuss Mayor Lee’s distinguished lifetime of public service, her leadership and accomplishments at all levels of government, what her experience has been since becoming Mayor of Oakland, especially in these turbulent times, and advice she has for the newest generation of public service leaders and for members of our polity who are concerned about the state of American democracy.

About the Speaker:

Barbara Lee made history in 2025 as the first Black woman elected Mayor of Oakland, bringing over three decades of public service from the U.S. Congress and California State Legislature to City Hall. Throughout her career, Mayor Lee has fought tirelessly for justice, opportunity, and the communities who need it most.

Oakland is her home, and she understands firsthand the challenges residents face. Since taking office, Mayor Lee has been advancing her vision to make Oakland the safest, cleanest, and greenest city in America. She leverages her extensive federal, state, and local relationships to secure real resources and deliver solutions to the city's most pressing issues - from homelessness to public safety.

Mayor Lee believes that building a stronger Oakland requires all of us working together. She is committed to collaborating with community leaders, neighborhood organizations, businesses, and residents from every corner of the city to create opportunity and improve quality of life for all Oaklanders.

The Barbara Boxer Lecture is an annual event, sponsored jointly by the Institute of Governmental Studies and The Bancroft Library, that focuses on women in leadership. This event is co-sponsored by the Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service, the Goldman School of Public Policy, and the Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science

Topics

Barbara Boxer Lecture Series topic page, Events topic page

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

4:00pm to 5:15pm

Banatao Auditorium, Sutardja Dai Hall

2954 Hearst Ave, Berkeley, CA 94720

Registration Link:

Event Contact: ezrabristow@berkeley.edu

Accessibility Notice:

This is an accessible event. If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) or information about campus mobility access features in order to fully participate in this event, please contact IGS at igs@berkeley.edu with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 days before the event.