Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, praised the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, one of the most prominent Black women lawmakers in Congress, in a Thursday eulogy focused on the Texan’s decades of fierce advocacy.
“Her fight was born out of love, she had a big, big heart,” Harris said. “Very few people have loved the people of Houston more than Sheila Jackson Lee.”
Fallbrook Church in Houston hosted Jackson Lee’s homegoing service. Local and national leaders commended Jackson Lee for her public service.
Jackson Lee announced in early June that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment. She died July 19 at the age of 74.
She survived a previous breast cancer diagnosis.
Harris remarked that Jackson Lee would sometimes have to “get a little creative” to help her constituents. She recalled the city of Houston had a budget shortfall in 2011 and was going to close outdoor public pools and several community centers for the summer.
“Well, Sheila Jackson Lee wasn’t having that,” Harris said.
Harris told how Jackson Lee called business owners and convinced them to donate more than $350,000 to keep the pools and community centers open.
“She touched the lives of people all over our country,” Harris said.
Advocate for Black community, women
A long-time advocate for progressive causes, Jackson Lee is known for her work in leading federal protections for women from domestic violence and making Juneteenth a federal holiday.
She was also an advocate for reparations for the descendants of enslaved African Americans, civil rights and voting rights. In 2021, Jackson Lee was arrested for civil disobedience over a federal voting rights bill.
She also served as whip of the Congressional Black Caucus and as the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the caucus.
“She worked with all her heart to lift up the people of her city, of her state and of our nation. And to honor her memory, let us continue to fight to realize the promise of America,” Harris said. “A promise of freedom, opportunity and justice, not just for some, but for all.”
Before Jackson Lee was elected to Congress, she sat on Houston’s city council from 1990 to 1994.
She joined the House in 1995 and served this Congress on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee.
Accolades in Houston
Several members of Congress, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, paid their respects at Thursday’s service.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also made remarks.
Jackson Lee was a surrogate for Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign, and gave a speech during the Democratic National Convention that year.
Hillary Clinton said she had a message for Jackson Lee, that Democrats “will carry your good work onward.” She added that she wished Jackson Lee could see Harris sworn in as the first Black and Asian American woman president if she wins this November.
Jeffries said that Jackson Lee was beloved by her colleagues in Congress and that he was amazed how Jackson Lee was “always on the scene.”
“I don’t think there was a single event on Capitol Hill that she missed,” Jeffries said.
Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Pramila Jayapal of Washington said that Jackson Lee was courageous and caring.
“She believed in our collective power to stand up for justice and she pulled all of us forward with her strength and her vision,” Jayapal said.
President Joe Biden paid his respects earlier this week, bringing a bouquet of flowers to a service at Houston City Hall on Monday.
“She spoke truth to power and represented the power of the people of her district in Houston with dignity and grace,” Biden said.
During his visit, he also offered condolences to her immediate family: husband, Elwyn Lee, and their two adult children, Erica Lee Carter and Jason Lee, according to White House pool reports.
There was a guest book at the service that Biden signed: “Fearless, proud, and bold. May God bless a dear friend and great American. May God bless you, Sheila Jackson Lee,” according to the White House.
