We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Diane Feinstein, longtime Senator from California. She was a lioness in the Senate, a trailblazer for women, and a tireless advocate for economic inclusion and equity. She was instrumental in supporting and providing credibility to Operation HOPE and our founder John Hope Bryant in our formative years and beyond, always providing wise counsel and direction. 

“Senator Dianne Feinstein was a friend to the underserved, making sure we were heard, seen — and resourced. And she would not rely on some series of detached advisors to form her view, or to understand us.  She showed up personally. I know because she showed up for me.”, said John Hope Bryant, founder and CEO of Operation HOPE. “Whether it was a Bankers Bus Tour or a community tour where she would allow me to hang out in discussions around community needs with Sweet Alice Harris of Watts (who is also an angel on this earth). Standing next to Sen. Feinstein, as a young man founding a now global movement, gave me my first sense of, hint of, and material contribution to — my mainstream credibility. She changed my life and gave me hope that mainstream America was listening. And I will never forget that. Or her.”

Senator Feinstein’s legacy of steady, thoughtful and inclusive leadership will live on, both in the body politic and society at-large. America is a better place today because Diane Feinstein chose to lean-in.