Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to attend the funeral of her “dear friend,” the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, in Houston later this week.
A “Celebration of Life” is scheduled for Thursday at Fallbrook Church, according to Jackson Lee’s office.
Other elected officials in the United States and abroad are also expected to attend the funeral, according to Fox 26.
Jackson Lee died on July 19 at the age of 74 after battling pancreatic cancer. She is survived by her husband, Elwyn Lee, and two children, Jason and Erica.
represent. Sheila Jackson Lee dies after battle with pancreatic cancer
Sheila Jackson Lee attends the UNCF A Mind Is…Gala at the Hilton Americas in Houston on November 18, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
She had previously battled breast cancer, being diagnosed in 2011 and announcing she was cancer-free the following year.
The congresswoman has represented Texas’ 18th Congressional District for 30 years. Before entering Congress, Jackson Lee served as a judge and was elected to the Houston City Council in 1989.
She announced she would seek re-election to Congress last year after running unsuccessfully for mayor of Houston, losing by a wide margin to then-state Sen. John Whitmire, a Democrat.
After Lee’s death, Harris said the congresswoman was “a tenacious advocate for justice and a tireless fighter for the people of Houston and the American people.” The vice president remembered her as “a close friend for many years and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.”
represent. Sheila Jackson Lee says she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer
Vice President Kamala Harris was tasked early in the Biden administration with addressing the root causes of mass migration from Central and South America. (Reuters/Kevin Mohart/Pool)
“As a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, I have had the opportunity to work closely with her on many issues and observe her leadership firsthand. She is ruthless – in her mind, the fiercest, smartest, most powerful person in our country. One of the most strategic leaders on how to make progress,” Harris said in a July 20 statement. “There was never a stale or petty conversation with the Congresswoman. She always fought for the people of Houston and the American people.”
Harris’ statement said Jackson Lee was “first and foremost a leader dedicated to serving the people of her beloved city.”
“Congresswoman Jackson Lee is also a national leader,” Harris’ statement added. “As a champion of women’s rights, she played a vital role in the landmark reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Meaningful legislation that has improved the lives of millions of women and girls across the country. She also authored the law making Juneteenth a national holiday, which I was proud to co-sponsor as a U.S. Senator. An equal, fairer and freer country, and she dedicated her life to realizing that vision.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee attends the premiere of “The Big Payback” during the 2022 Tribeca Festival at Village East Cinemas on June 11, 2022 in New York City. (John Lampersky/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)
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This is the vice president’s third trip to Texas in the last month and her second since becoming the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, including a visit to Houston last week.
Harris visited the Houston Emergency Operations Center on Wednesday to receive a briefing on recovery efforts following Hurricane Beryl. The next day, she spoke at the American Federation of Teachers’ 88th National Convention.
Earlier this month, she spoke at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. conference in Dallas.
