US Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, fighter for racial, criminal justice, dies at 74

By Surbhi Misra

(Reuters) -U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a prominent progressive voice in the Democratic Party who was outspoken on African American and women's rights, has died, her family said late on Friday.

Jackson Lee of Texas announced last month she had pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment. She was 74.

"The road ahead will not be easy, but I stand in faith that God will strengthen me," Jackson Lee, the chief deputy whip in the House of Representatives, said in announcing the diagnosis.

Her family said in a statement that she was a local, national and international humanitarian, who fought for racial and criminal justice. "A fierce champion of the people, she was affectionately and simply known as 'Congresswoman' by her constituents in recognition of her near-ubiquitous presence and service to their daily lives for more than 30 years."

President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat, said: "Always fearless, she spoke truth to power and represented the power of the people of her district in Houston with dignity and grace."

The 15-term representative, a graduate of Yale College and the University of Virginia Law School, promoted legislation addressing social justice, economic inequality and public health.

Jackson Lee, who represented parts of Houston, introduced legislation in the House to make "Juneteenth" a federal holiday commemorating the end of the legal enslavement of Black Americans.

She was a vocal proponent of police reform in the face of congressional roadblocks after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd, a Black man whose death sparked nationwide protests.

Jackson Lee also led legislation in 2022 that re-authorized the Violence Against Women Act, which had expired in 2019.

Fellow Democrat Brendan Boyle, ranking member of the House Budget Committee on which she served, called her "a fierce advocate for the people of Houston and for racial and economic justice everywhere."

"The Congresswoman will be truly missed by all of us who served alongside her," he said in a statement.

Jackson Lee also served on the U.S. House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees.

Jasmine Crockett, like Jackson Lee an African American representative from Texas but in her first term, posted on X: "I'm at a loss for words so I'll just say rest easy, my friend, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee."

There were also tributes for Jackson Lee from some politicians at the other end of the political spectrum.

"While we rarely agreed on policy, I always enjoyed our spirited debates about law and policy, and I counted her as a friend," U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican who served with her on the judiciary committee for seven years, said in a statement.

Governor Greg Abbott, a conservative Republican, posted on X that his wife "Cecilia and I will forever remember Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee," adding that "her legacy of public service and dedication to Texas will live on."

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz posted: "I'm deeply saddened by the passing of my friend & colleague Sheila Jackson Lee. She was a tireless advocate for Houston."

Jackson Lee considered leaving Congress in 2023 in a bid to become Houston's first female Black mayor, but was defeated in a run-off.

(Reporting by Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Timothy Gardner in Washington, Editing by William Mallard, Helen Popper and Daniel Wallis)