U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a strong progressive voice in the Democratic Party who was outspoken about African-American and women’s rights, has died, her family said, opening a new tab on X late Friday.
Texas-based Jackson Lee announced last month that she has pancreatic cancer and is opening a new tab and undergoing treatment. According to American media, she was 74 years old.
“The road ahead will not be easy, but I stand in faith that God will strengthen me,” she said when announcing the diagnosis.
“She was a fierce fighter for the people, affectionately and simply called ‘Congresswoman’ by her constituents in recognition of her almost omnipresent presence and service to their daily lives.
Lee was the chairman of the Pakistan Committee in the US Congress. In September 2022, she was awarded the Hilal-e-Pakistan by the Government of Pakistan for her significant role in promoting Pakistan-US relations.
Additionally, after the devastating floods in Pakistan in 2022, Lee wrote a letter to US President Joe Biden to help Pakistan.
Throughout her career, she has been active in advocating for legislation aimed at addressing social justice, economic inequality, and public health.
Jackson Lee, who represented parts of Houston, introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to make “Juneteenth” a federal holiday commemorating the end of legal black slavery.
The holiday marks the day in 1865 when a Union general informed a group of enslaved people in Texas that they had been freed two years earlier under President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a conservative Republican, wrote on X that his wife, “Cecilia and I will always remember Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
Jackson Lee has served on several House committees, including the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget.
