July 29, 2024, today; Sheila Jackson Lee will lie in Houston City Hall Rotunda for tribute.
“This Dec. 13, 2019, file photo, Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee speaks during a House Judiciary Committee meeting, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Patrick Semansky/AP, FILE”
ABC News: “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,” the statement continued.”
“In this Feb. 7, 2023, file photo, President Joe Biden takes a selfie with Representative Sheila Jackson Lee after the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via AFP via Getty Images, FILE”
“Sheila Jackson Lee, with her husband, Elwyn Lee, left, and Bishop James Dixon, right, speaks to supporters during her election night watch party on March 5, 2024, in Houston.”
“She will be dearly missed, but her legacy will continue to inspire all who believe in freedom, justice and democracy,” her family said.”
“The democratic Chief Deputy Whip and member of the Congressional Black Caucus served in Congress for almost 30 years. Most recently, Jackson Lee reintroduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in May.”
“Jackson Lee, who represented Texas’ 18th District, which encompasses parts of Houston, won a primary election this year to regain her seat.”
“Born in Queens, New York, the congresswoman attended Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law. She relocated with her husband Elwyn Lee, a law professor, to Houston where she served as a municipal judge from 1987 to 1990. She served in the Houston City Council before running for a U.S. House seat in 1994, defeating then-incumbent Rep. Craig Washington in the Democratic primary.”
“The congresswoman was a senior member of the House committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Budget.”
“She authored and was the lead sponsor of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. The law introduced the first new federal holiday — commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States — since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983.”
“She also authored legislation to reenact the Violence Against Women Act, which had expired in 2019.”
The Congresswoman lost Houston’s Mayor’s race to Mayor John Whitmire in 2023 .
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/rep-sheila-jackson-lee-dies-74/story?id=112120786
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/07/19/politics/sheila-jackson-lee-texas-dies
Media News Global Voices 