Sheila Jackson Lee, Longtime Democratic Congresswoman and African-American Rights Advocate, Dies at 74

Sheila Jackson Lee, a longtime Democratic congresswoman from Texas who was an outspoken advocate for black Americans for decades, has died. She was 74.

“Today, with incredible sorrow for our loss but profound gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas’ 18th Congressional District,” her family said in a statement Friday.

Jackson Lee announced in June that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. At the time, he admitted that “the road ahead will not be easy” and said he had “faith that God will strengthen me.”

Her family remembered her as “a fierce champion of the people,” saying that “she was affectionately and simply known to her constituents as ‘Congresswoman’ in recognition of her nearly ubiquitous presence and service in their daily lives for more than 30 years.”

Born January 12, 1950, in Queens, New York, Jackson Lee was one of the first women to graduate from Yale University and served as a municipal judge and city councilwoman in Houston before being first elected to represent Texas’s 18th congressional district in 1994, unseating a Democratic incumbent in the Houston-area primary for the seat.

During her time in Congress, she was an outspoken advocate for progressive and African-American interests. She was a co-sponsor of legislation to establish Juneteenth as a national holiday, spoke out frequently against police brutality, and supported federal legislation to prosecute police misconduct.

She was widely admired among progressives for her opposition to the Iraq War and was a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump.

She opposed the counting of electoral votes that certified Trump as the winner of the 2016 election, citing an unfounded claim of “massive voter suppression,” and occasionally used her position on the House Judiciary Committee to harshly criticize members of Trump’s inner circle.

Although she fell short of some of her most ambitious goals, Jackson Lee remained an advocate for racial justice, particularly after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.

“We will not rest until the nation knows that Black lives matter and that reparations is passed as the most significant civil rights legislation of the 21st century,” Jackson Lee said at a march on Washington in 2020.

At the time of her death, she was the House Democratic whip and vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. She had previously served as whip of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“Congresswoman Jackson Lee was a patriot and a fighter to the end. Words cannot express the loss our Caucus feels for our beloved friend. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her,” Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford and members of the Congressional Black Caucus said in a statement following her death.

Jackson Lee’s tenure in Congress has not been without controversy. Her ties to Enron (her district included the corporation’s headquarters and was a major factor in her early congressional campaigns, The New York Times reported) came under scrutiny after the company’s collapse in the early 2000s, though she has denied taking it easy.

And in 2019, she resigned as chair of the nonprofit Congressional Black Caucus and stepped down as chairman of a House Judiciary subcommittee after a lawsuit alleged she fired a staffer who alleged sexual assault by a foundation supervisor. At the time, Jackson Lee refused to “discuss specifics of internal staff matters,” but she denied the allegations, and the lawsuit was eventually dismissed by a federal judge in February 2020.

Last year, Lee ran for mayor of Houston, winning the support of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

He lost in the runoff election to Texas Senator John Whitmire, also a Democrat.

After that defeat, Jackson Lee filed for a 16th term in Congress and, in March, won a competitive Democratic primary, defeating former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, a former intern.

In Congress, she developed a reputation for grabbing a seat near the entrance to the House chamber for the president’s annual State of the Union address, so she could interact with the commander in chief. It wasn’t just for photo opportunities, she insisted to The Huffington Post in 2016; it was also a chance to do quick business with presidents.

As to why she was able to gain regular access to such a coveted spot, she said, “Thanks to so many good friends, I am welcome in that place.”

According to the family, funeral arrangements are still pending.

“Her legislative victories have impacted millions, from establishing the federal holiday Juneteenth to reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. However, she has had a greater impact on us as our beloved wife, sister, mother and Bebe (grandmother),” her family said Friday. “She will be greatly missed, but her legacy will continue to inspire all who believe in freedom, justice and democracy.” [CNN]

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