BROOKLYN, NY – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement: 

Today, the city of Houston and the House Democratic Caucus mourn a giant, the one and only Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Congresswoman Jackson Lee was an inimitable force for change and a warrior for justice over the course of her historic, trailblazing career.

A member of one of the very first co-ed classes at Yale University, Sheila Jackson Lee would go on to break barriers as a municipal judge and Houston City Councilwoman before winning the seat once held by the iconic Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. As a longtime Member of the House Judiciary Committee, Congresswoman Jackson Lee was the first woman to serve as Chair of its Subcommittee on Crime. A fighter for her community, she helped lead the successful effort to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and was a leading voice for criminal justice reform and police accountability. Three years ago, President Joe Biden signed into law Sheila’s legislation creating the Juneteenth federal holiday, after she had persisted over the course of multiple Congresses dating back to 2013. Known for proudly wearing her braided crown, Congresswoman Jackson Lee fought every day for the least, the lost and the left behind, and was a warrior for racial and economic justice. 

Sheila Jackson Lee was an accomplished legislator, passionate public servant, loving mentor and wonderful friend to so many of us in the Congressional Black Caucus and House Democratic Caucus family. I am grateful for her fearless advocacy, fierce determination, formidable service and legacy of leadership. Rep. Jackson Lee will be deeply missed by so many in her district and throughout the nation. Our prayers are with her family and loved ones during this difficult time. May she forever rest in power.

###