Sheila Jackson Lee, strong Democratic voice in US Congress, dies at 74

[July 20, 2024]  By Surbhi Misra

(Reuters) -U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a prominent progressive voice in the Democratic Party who was outspoken on African American and women's rights, has died, her family posted on X late on Friday.

Jackson Lee of Texas announced last month she had pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment. She was 74, according to U.S. media.

"The road ahead will not be easy, but I stand in faith that God will strengthen me," Jackson Lee, the chief deputy whip in the House of Representatives, said in announcing the diagnosis.

"A fierce champion of the people, she was affectionately and simply known as 'Congresswoman' by her constituents in recognition of her near-ubiquitous presence and service to their daily lives for more than 30 years," her family said in the statement.

The 15-term representative, a graduate of Yale College and the University of Virginia Law School, was active throughout her career in promoting legislation aimed at addressing social justice, economic inequality and public health concerns.

Jackson Lee, who represented parts of Houston, introduced legislation in the House to make "Juneteenth" a federal holiday commemorating the end of the legal enslavement of Black Americans.

The holiday marks the day in 1865 when a Union general informed a group of enslaved people in Texas that they had been made free two years earlier by President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War.

Jackson Lee was a vocal proponent of police reform in the face of congressional roadblocks after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd, a Black man whose death sparked nationwide protests.

Fellow Democrat Brendan Boyle, ranking member of the House Budget Committee on which she served, called her "a fierce advocate for the people of Houston and for racial and economic justice everywhere."

President Joe Biden talks with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, after the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

"The Congresswoman will be truly missed by all of us who served alongside her," he said in a statement.

Jackson Lee also served on the judiciary and homeland security committees.

Jasmine Crockett, like Jackson Lee an African American representative from Texas but in her first term, posted on X: "I'm at a loss for words so I'll just say rest easy, my friend, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee."

There were also tributes for Jackson Lee from some Texans at the other end of the political spectrum.

Governor Greg Abbott, a conservative Republican, posted on X that his wife "Cecilia and I will forever remember Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee," adding that "her legacy of public service and dedication to Texas will live on."

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz posted: "I'm deeply saddened by the passing of my friend & colleague Sheila Jackson Lee. She was a tireless advocate for Houston."

Jackson Lee considered leaving Congress in 2023 in a bid to become Houston's first female Black mayor, but was defeated in a run-off.

(Reporting by Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard and Helen Popper)

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