Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas has died, her workplace introduced Friday night. She was 74 years outdated.
A reason behind dying was not instantly disclosed. Final month, nevertheless, Jackson Lee revealed that she had been recognized with pancreatic most cancers.
“A fierce champion of the individuals, she was affectionately and easily generally known as ‘Congresswoman’ by her constituents in recognition of her near-ubiquitous presence and repair to their day by day lives for greater than 30 years,” her workplace mentioned in an announcement.
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Jackson Lee represented the 18th Congressional District, which included parts of Houston.
She was born in Queens, New York, and graduated from Yale College in 1972 and acquired her regulation diploma from the College of Virginia Legislation College. She was a municipal choose earlier than starting her political profession as a member of the Houston Metropolis Council within the late Eighties, then made the soar to Congress in 1995. She misplaced a closely-watched Houston mayoral race final December.
In an announcement, the Congressional Black Caucus praised Jackson Lee as a “titan and stalwart” who was a “fierce advocate for social and financial justice, nationwide and homeland safety, power independence, and youngsters and dealing households.”
Jackson Lee was lead the sponsor of laws that was signed into regulation by President Biden in June 2021 to make Juneteenth a federal vacation.
“The potential of getting this nationwide vacation opens a complete world of debate for America, a complete reckoning with racism and the systemic racism that permeates the nation,” she advised CBS Mornings in a June 2020 interview.
“Recognized for proudly sporting her braided crown, Congresswoman Jackson Lee fought each day for the least, the misplaced and the left behind, and was a warrior for racial and financial justice,” Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries mentioned in an announcement late Friday, noting that Jackson Lee was additionally the primary girl to ever function chair of the Home Judiciary Committee’s crime subcommittee.
In confirming her pancreatic most cancers analysis final month, Jackson Lee mentioned that she was “present process remedy to battle this illness that impacts tens of 1000’s of People yearly.”
Again in 2012, Jackson Lee revealed that she had undergone remedy for breast most cancers and made a full restoration. She then labored in Congress to safe tens of millions of {dollars} in funding for breast most cancers analysis.
“This can be a large loss,” Sen. Majority Chief Chuck Schumer mentioned in a social media put up Friday of her passing. “Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee fought so exhausting all through her life to make our nation a greater place for all. Could her reminiscence be a blessing.”
She is survived by her husband and two kids.
— Jordan Freiman contributed to this report.
