U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee dead at 74

Just weeks after announcing that she was battling pancreatic cancer, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has died at the age of 74, her family announced Friday night.

The longtime congresswoman from Houston who was an outspoken leader on civil rights and justice issues served the public for more than 30 years.

“A local, national, and international humanitarian, she was acknowledged worldwide for her courageous fights for racial justice, criminal justice, and human rights, with a special emphasis on women and children,” read a statement from her family.

“She will be dearly missed, but her legacy will continue to inspire all who believe in freedom, justice, and democracy. God bless you Congresswoman and God bless the United States of America,” Jackson Lee’s family said.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaks during a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. Jackson Lee died Friday after battling pancreatic cancer. Photo credit: Alex Brandon, The Associated Press
U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaks during a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. Jackson Lee died Friday after battling pancreatic cancer. Photo credit: Alex Brandon, The Associated Press

Jackson Lee clearly was fighting for what she believed until the end.

On Friday, as Democrats quietly debated whether an 81-year-old President Biden was fit to serve another term, she posted on X: “The time is now to unite behind the President and get to work beating Donald Trump — one last time.”

And a few hours before that, after former President Donald Trump’s nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, she posted: “I have no idea what Donald Trump was talking about last night. For more than an hour, he rambled and lied. He is unfit for the Presidency! Now, my friends, is the time to focus on beating him and his Project 2025 monstrosity. Enough is enough!”

Last month, Jackson Lee announced she was fighting pancreatic cancer. In a statement, Jackson Lee said she was undergoing treatment to battle the disease “that impacts tens of thousands of Americans every year.” The prognosis for pancreatic cancer has been improving over the years but remains a challenging one.

Tributes to Jackson Lee poured in from around the country.

“Sheila Jackson Lee was a fearless fighter for the people of Houston, one of our country’s most effective leaders, and a wonderful friend to Hillary and me,” former President Bill Clinton said in a statement. “She always said what she meant and backed up her words with action. Above all, she knew how to get things done. We just loved her.”

Clinton added, “We wish she had lived many more years, but she put her time to good use making a difference in the lives of others. And she approached her final battle with the same strength and courage she was known for throughout her life and career.”

“Congresswoman Jackson Lee achieved a remarkable legislative record in the Congress for Houston and for our country,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement.  “As a powerful voice in the Congress for our Constitution and human rights, she fought tirelessly to advance fairness, equity and justice for all.  In a testament to her relentless determination, Congresswoman Jackson Lee was the author and lead sponsor of legislation that established Juneteenth as the first new federal holiday in 38 years.  And as an author of the Violence Against Women Act, she was a champion for the rights of women.”

“Sheila Jackson Lee was a

Said U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., in a statement: “Our country is better for her service.”

Steven Reed, mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, and president of the African American Mayors Association, said in a statement: “Congresswoman Lee was a trailblazer in every sense of the word, and a force in Congress for over 30 years for her constituents and values. May her memory be a blessing, and an inspiration and example for others of the power and meaning of public service.

In 1995, Jackson Lee had just been elected to the Houston district once represented by Barbara Jordan, the first Black woman elected to Congress from a Southern state since Reconstruction, when she was placed on the high-profile House Judiciary Committee.

“They just saw me, I guess through my profile, through Barbara Jordan’s work,” Jackson Lee told the Houston Chronicle in 2022. “I thought it was an honor because they assumed I was going to be the person they needed.”

Jackson Lee quickly established herself as fierce advocate for women and minorities, and a leader for House Democrats on many social justice issues, from policing reform to reparations for descendants of enslaved people. She led the first rewrite of the Violence Against Women Act in nearly a decade, which included protections for Native American, transgender and immigrant women.

Jackson Lee also was among the lead lawmakers behind the 2021 effort to have Juneteenth recognized as a federal holiday. The holiday marks the day in 1865 that the last enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their freedom.

Jackson was a native of Queens, New York. She graduated from Yale and earned her law degree at the University of Virginia. She was a judge in Houston before she was elected to Houston City Council in 1989, then ran for Congress in 1994. She was an advocate for gay rights and an early opponent of the Iraq War in 2003.

Jackson Lee is survived by her husband, Elwyn, children Jason and Erica, and her grandchildren, Ellison and Roy.

The Associated Press and NABJ Black News & Views contributed to this story.

The original version of this story can be found here.

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