Sheila Jackson Lee, strong Democratic voice in US Congress, has died, family says By Reuters

(Reuters) – U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a strong progressive voice in the Democratic Party who was an outspoken advocate for the rights of African Americans and women, has died, her family posted on X late Friday.

Jackson Lee from Texas announced last month that she was suffering from pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment. According to US media, she was 74 years old.

“The road ahead of me will not be easy, but I trust that God will give me strength,” she said when announcing the diagnosis.

“She was a passionate advocate for the people and was affectionately and simply referred to by her constituents as ‘Congresswoman,’ in recognition of her near omnipresent presence and dedication to their daily lives for more than 30 years,” her family said in a statement.

Throughout her career, she has been committed to promoting legislation that advances social justice, economic inequality, and public health issues.

Jackson Lee, who represented parts of Houston, introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to make Juneteenth a federal holiday commemorating the end of legal slavery of blacks in America.

The holiday commemorates the day in 1865 when a Union general informed a group of enslaved people in Texas that they had been freed two years earlier during the Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a conservative Republican, posted on X that his wife “Cecilia and I will forever remember Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.”

“She was a proud Texan and a tireless advocate for the people of Houston. Her legacy of public service and dedication to Texas will live on,” Abbott said.

Jackson Lee served on several committees in the House of Representatives, including the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget Committees.