Longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who helped lead federal efforts to guard girls from home violence and acknowledge Juneteenth as a nationwide vacation, has died. She was 74.
Lillie Conley, her chief of employees, confirmed that Jackson Lee, who had pancreatic most cancers, died in Houston Friday night time along with her household round her.
The Democrat had represented her Houston-based district and the nation’s fourth-largest metropolis since 1995. She had beforehand had breast most cancers and introduced the pancreatic most cancers prognosis on June 2.
“The highway forward won’t be straightforward, however I stand in religion that God will strengthen me,” Jackson Lee mentioned in an announcement then.
Bishop James Dixon, a longtime pal in Houston who visited Jackson Lee earlier this week, mentioned he’ll keep in mind her as a fighter.
“She was only a uncommon, uncommon jewel of an individual who relentlessly gave the whole lot she had to ensure others had what they wanted. That was Sheila,” he mentioned.
Jackson Lee had simply been elected to the Houston district as soon as represented by Barbara Jordan, the primary Black girl elected to Congress from a Southern state since Reconstruction, when she was instantly positioned on the high-profile Home Judiciary Committee in 1995.
“They only noticed me, I suppose by means of my profile, by means of Barbara Jordan’s work,” Jackson Lee instructed the Houston Chronicle in 2022. “I believed it was an honor as a result of they assumed I used to be going to be the individual they wanted.”
Jackson Lee rapidly established herself as a fierce advocate for girls and minorities, and a pacesetter for Home Democrats on many social justice points, from policing reform to reparations for descendants of enslaved folks. She led the primary rewrite of the Violence In opposition to Girls Act in almost a decade, which included protections for Native American, transgender and immigrant girls.
Jackson Lee was additionally among the many lead lawmakers behind the trouble in 2021 to have Juneteenth acknowledged as the primary new federal vacation since Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established in 1986. The vacation marks the day in 1865 that the final enslaved African Individuals in Galveston, Texas, lastly realized of their freedom.
A local of Queens, New York, Jackson Lee graduated from Yale and earned her legislation diploma on the College of Virginia. She was a decide in Houston earlier than she was elected to Houston Metropolis Council in 1989, then ran for Congress in 1994. She was an advocate for homosexual rights and an early opponent of the Iraq Conflict in 2003.
Prime congressional Democrats reacted rapidly to the information Friday night time, praising her dedication and work ethic.
Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina known as her “a tenacious advocate for civil rights and a tireless fighter, enhancing the lives of her constituents.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland mentioned he had by no means identified a harder-working lawmaker than Jackson Lee, saying she “studied each invoice and each modification with exactitude after which instructed Texas and America precisely the place she stood.”
Former Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California cited Jackson Lee’s “relentless willpower” in getting Juneteenth declared a nationwide vacation.
“As a robust voice within the Congress for our Structure and human rights, she fought tirelessly to advance equity, fairness and justice for all,” Pelosi mentioned.
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott mentioned he and his spouse Cecilia will at all times keep in mind Jackson Lee, calling her a “tireless advocate for the folks of Houston.”
“Her legacy of public service and dedication to Texas will dwell on,” he mentioned.
Jackson Lee routinely gained reelection to Congress with ease. The few occasions she confronted a challenger, she by no means carried lower than two-thirds of the vote. Jackson Lee thought of leaving Congress in 2023 in a bid to turn into Houston’s first feminine Black mayor however was defeated in a runoff. She then simply gained the Democratic nomination for the 2024 basic election.
Through the mayoral marketing campaign, Jackson Lee expressed remorse and mentioned “everybody deserves to be handled with dignity and respect” following the discharge of an unverified audio recording presupposed to be of the lawmaker berating employees members.
In 2019, Jackson Lee stepped down from two management positions on the Home Judiciary Committee and Congressional Black Caucus Basis, the fundraising of the Congressional Black Caucus, following a lawsuit from a former worker who mentioned her sexual assault criticism was mishandled.
In an announcement, Jackson Lee’s household mentioned she had been a beloved spouse, sister, mom and grandmother often known as Bebe.
“She shall be dearly missed, however her legacy will proceed to encourage all who imagine in freedom, justice, and democracy,” the assertion mentioned. “God bless you Congresswoman and God bless the USA of America.”
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Related Press author Lou Kesten contributed to this story from Washington.