By Associated Press and JACL
Longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who helped lead federal efforts to protect women from domestic violence and recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday, has died. She was 74.
Lillie Conley, her chief of staff, confirmed that Jackson Lee, who had pancreatic cancer, died in Houston on July 19 with her family around her.
Jackson Lee was “a towering figure in our politics,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Saturday. “Always fearless, she spoke truth to power and represented the power of the people of her district in Houston with dignity and grace.”
In a joint statement, the National JACL and the JACL Houston chapter stated being “deeply saddened” to learn of Jackson Lee’s death.
JACL worked most closely with the Jackson Lee on the issue of Black reparations, specifically with regard to HR40, which seeks to establish a commission to study reparation proposals for descendants of formerly enslaved Americans of African heritage.
“Congresswoman Lee was a very strong advocate, champion and leader for the people of Houston for many, many years, particularly communities of color and the marginalized. She will be very much missed,” stated JACL Houston Chapter President Colleen Morimoto. “Regarding JACL Houston, Congresswoman Lee was always very gracious, expressing her appreciation for JACL standing by the Black community through HR40.”
Jackson Lee 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. (To read the JACL’s statement regarding Jackson Lee’s death, visit tinyurl.com/3p2ewmhx.)
