Sheila Jackson Lee, a congresswoman and advocate for Black Americans, dies at 74

Longtime Democratic congresswoman from Texas, Sheila Jackson Lee, was a vocal supporter of African Americans for many years until her passing. She was seventy-four.

“Today, with incredible grief for our loss yet deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of United States Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18th Congressional District of Texas,” her family said in a statement Friday.

In June of last year, Jackson Lee revealed her pancreatic cancer diagnosis. She declared at the time that she had "faith that God will strengthen me" and that "the road ahead will not be easy."

Jackson Lee first disclosed in 2012 that she had received treatment for breast cancer and had fully recovered. After that, she worked in Congress to get millions of dollars allocated for research on breast cancer.

She was up in Queens, New York, attended Yale University, graduated in 1972, and then attended the University of Virginia Law School to earn her legal degree. Prior to entering politics in the late 1980s as a member of the Houston City Council, she served as a municipal judge. In 1995, she made the transition to Congress. In December of last year, she lost a keenly followed Houston mayoral contest.

Jackson Lee led the bill's sponsors, and President Biden signed it into law in June 2021, designating Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

She served as vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and chief deputy whip for House Democrats at the time of her death. She was the Congressional Black Caucus whip in the past.

“Congresswoman Jackson Lee was a patriot and a fighter to the very end. Words cannot express the sense of loss our Caucus feels for our beloved friend. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her,” Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford and members of the Congressional Black Caucus said in a statement following her death.

"This is a tremendous loss," Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a social media post Friday of her passing. "Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee fought so hard throughout her life to make our country a better place for all. May her memory be a blessing."

She is survived by her spouse and two children.