Former Congressman Ronald Vernie Dellums served in the United States Congress between 1971 and 1998. He is a former Chairman of the Armed Forces Committee of the House of Representatives. He began his career as a social worker with the California Department of Mental Hygiene. He was elected to the Oakland City Council in 1967.

As a congressman, Ron Dellums became a major advocate for peace in Vietnam. He was also an instrumental figure in the Anti-Apartheid movement and worked tirelessly for the release of Nelson Mandela and the eventual political liberation of South Africa. He also served as the Chairman of the US Congressional Black Caucus.

Since leaving Congress, Congressman Dellums has served as the president of an international healthcare company and also served as the chairman of the Constituency for Africa, Washington, DC where he was one of the first senior political figures to “draw the line in the sand” in the global effort to stop the HIV/AIDS pandemic, especially in Africa. Congressman Dellums served as the Chairman of President Clinton’s White House HIV/AIDS Advisory Council.

Congressman Dellums is the author of several books, including a recent autobiography Lying Down With the Lions: A Public Life from the Streets of Oakland to the Halls of Power. He has a Federal building named after him for his long public service and the University of California, Berkeley created an endowed chair in his name in the Peace and Conflict Studies Department. In 2006, Dellums was elected Mayor of Oakland, California.