Shelia Jackson Lee — the Texas congresswoman who spent three decades in office fighting for black rights — has died.
Her family issued a statement saying Lee passed away on Friday, but no cause of death was given. They said that while they were mourning the loss, they were grateful for Lee’s life.
In June, Lee announced that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, informing her constituents that she would occasionally take time away from Congress to receive medical treatment.
Born in Queens, New York, Lee was a true Democrat who was outspoken on racial issues impacting black people throughout her political career. She eventually moved to Texas to serve on the Houston City Council before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994.
Lee — who represented Texas’s 18th congressional district that encompasses Houston and the surrounding areas — served for the next 30 years in the House. She was chairwoman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, as well as a member of the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Budget committees.
Additionally, Lee was the lead author of the 2021 legislation that established Juneteenth as a federal holiday celebrating the end of slavery in America.
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The Congressional Black Caucus described Lee as “a fierce advocate for social and economic justice, national and homeland security, energy independence, and working children and families.”
Lee was 74 years old.
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