CMR
WRITTEN AND CONTRIBUTED BY SYBIL WILKES
4 MINUTE READ
What You Need to Know:
“My adult life has been defined by my faith in God, my love for humanity and my commitment to public service. As a member of Congress, I’ve been honored to be one of the leaders in the fight for justice and equality for all; especially the disadvantaged and the dispossessed. Today, my fight is more personal, but I will approach it with the same faith and the same courage.”
-Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18)
A strong Voice of the People has been stilled. Democratic Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of the Texas 18th Congressional District, died Friday night at the age of 74. She was known for her fight to make June 19th, or Juneteenth, a federal holiday, her tireless efforts to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and to reintroduce the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The 15-term Congresswoman announced in June she was being treated for pancreatic cancer.
This granddaughter of Jamaican immigrants was born in Queens, NY in 1950. Sheila’s father, Ezra Clyde Jackson, was identified as a comic book artist, and her mother, Ivalita Bennett Jackson, was a nurse. She grew up in New York and graduated from Jamaica High School in Queens. Although she earned a scholarship for Black students at New York University, Miss Jackson transferred and completed her undergraduate work at Yale University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. In 1975, Mrs. Jackson Lee received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Sheila Jackson married Elwyn Lee, also of Yale University, in 1973. Mr. Lee returned to his hometown of Houston, where he became the first African American tenured at the University of Houston Law School.
Mrs. Jackson Lee was appointed as a Municipal Judge by Mayor Kathy Whitmire, in 1987. Two years later, Lee was elected to the Houston City Council in an at-large district. In 1994, the young politician defeated four-term incumbent Congressman Craig Washington in the Democratic primary. Sheila Jackson Lee began her 30-year career representing her district in Washington, D.C., in what was described as an easy win in the general election in the majority Black district.
Throughout her congressional career, Sheila Jackson Lee served on a number of high profile committees including Judicial, Budget and Homeland Security. The Congresswoman was recognized as a leading voice, for her hard work and support of causes that affected her African American constituents and social justice.
Vice President Kamala Harris also saluted this woman of action. “She saw what could be—a nation that is more equal, more fair, and more free—and she dedicated her life to realizing that vision.”
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were also among the many sharing praise and memories, stating, “Throughout her nearly 30 years in Congress, she was an unwavering champion for women and children, a staunch advocate for sensible gun reform, a relentless defender of the Constitution and the cause of justice, an important leader within the Congressional Black Caucus, and so much more,” the statement read. “Above all, she knew how to get things done. We just loved her.”
Last year, Sheila Jackson Lee entered the race for Mayor, a win that would have brought her home to Houston. However, she lost in a runoff to fellow Texas Democrat, John Whitmire. Mrs. Jackson Lee then filed to seek what would have been her 16th term in Congress.
Among her activities outside of the U.S. Congress, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee served on the faculty at Texas Southern University, was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and The Links.
Mrs. Jackson Lee leaves to cherish her memory, her husband of 50 years, Mr. Elwyn Lee, two children, Erica Lee and Jason Lee, and two grandchildren.
According to the Houston Chronicle, “Jackson Lee was up for re-election in November. After handily clinching the Democratic nomination over former Houston City Councilor Amanda Edwards, she was widely expected to win another term representing the deep blue district that includes part of Central Houston and vast portions of northwest and northeast Harris County.”
Why You Need to Know:
It seems only right that Ms. Lewis will likely fill the position of the woman for whom she once served as an intern. Mrs. Sheila Jackson Lee stood on the shoulders of predecessors Congressman Mickey Leland and the first Black woman to elected to Congress from the South, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. Like Jordan and Leland, no doubt Mrs. Jackson Lee paved the way for others like Ms. Lewis and steadied her shoulders to help continue the race in which she was a proud, progressive and effective representative for the Texas 18th and Black and Brown people everywhere.
