Remembering the Life and Legacy of Sheila Jackson Lee

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, a Seventh-day Adventist lawmaker who served in the United States Congress for nearly 30 years, championing social justice causes and pushing for the adoption of Juneteenth as a federal holiday, died on July 19 at age 74. Funeral services were held on August 1.
During her time in Congress, which began in 1995, Jackson Lee represented the 18th Congressional District of Texas and worked on laws regarding racial justice and protecting women from domestic violence. In 2021, Jackson Lee led the effort to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. She served as a senior member of the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget committees, and as chairwoman of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Also in 2021, Jackson Lee authored the bill recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday, leading to the first new federal holiday in the United States since the 1986 establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Her peers recognized Jackson Lee for the passion and energy she brought to her job, calling her “relentless,” “tireless,” and “tenacious.” President Joe Biden was among those who stopped to pay respects to the former congresswoman at the Houston City Hall rotunda, where her body was held for 10 hours on July 29. “No matter the issue — from delivering racial justice to building an economy for working people — she was unrelenting in her leadership,” Biden said in a statement after her death, also calling her “a towering figure in our politics.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, who, aside from working with Jackson Lee in Congress and the Congressional Black Caucus, also had a connection with Jackson Lee as a fellow former member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, said in a statement: “She was relentless—one of our nation’s fiercest, smartest, and most strategic leaders in the way she thought about how to make progress happen. There was never a trite or trivial conversation with the Congresswoman. She was always fighting for the people of Houston and the people of America.” Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, will deliver a eulogy at the funeral service.
Born in Queens, New York, in 1950, Jackson Lee’s career plans changed after the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. while she was in high school. She originally planned to become an executive secretary, but after winning a scholarship that honored King, she transferred to Yale University where she was part of one of the university’s first Black classes. She later received her law degree from the University of Virginia and started work as a lawyer in Washington D.C. Her career in politics began in 1990 when she won a seat on Houston’s City Council, and in 1994 she won the congressional seat that she held until her death. Jackson Lee campaigned in 2023 to become the mayor of Houston, ultimately losing in a runoff election to John Whitmire.
Along with Raul Ruiz, a Democrat from California, Jackson Lee was one of two Adventists serving in Congress at the time of her death. She was outspoken about her faith and said in the announcement of her pancreatic cancer diagnosis, “My adult life has been defined by my faith in God, my love for humanity, and my commitment to public service.”
At the annual Religious Liberty Dinner in 2019, an event sponsored by the Adventist Church, Jackson Lee was the keynote speaker. “I get excited about religious liberty,” she said in her speech, calling on others to advocate for human rights and religious freedom. She petitioned for people across the political spectrum to unite behind the belief that “our faith is stronger than those who would attempt to undermine it and to destroy it.” Jackson Lee also spoke about issues of religious freedom around the world, including in Iran and China, and affirmed her belief in the mission of Congress globally to resolve conflict, strengthen alliances, and secure religious freedom. “These are, of course, principles that I would hope all of us could adhere to,” she said.
Jackson Lee is survived by her husband, Elwyn Cornelius Lee, their children, Jason and Erica Lee, and two grandchildren. In the family’s statement, they said that “she impacted us most as our beloved wife, sister, mother, and bebe (grandmother). She will be dearly missed, but her legacy will continue to inspire all those who believe in freedom, democracy, and justice.”
Matthew Orquia
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