Friends and colleagues of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee reflect on her legacy and final days
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee was short in stature, but friends and colleagues of the longtime congresswoman remember her as someone who was a giant in her hometown of Houston, Texas, and in the nation’s capital.
“She had no peer. There was no one you could compare her to. She was in a class by herself,” said Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., who grew close with Jackson Lee while they served together in the Congressional Black Caucus and through their shared membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Wilson told theGrio that Jackson Lee — who, at 74, lost her battle with pancreatic cancer on July 19 — was “so alive” and “involved in every entity” of Congress. “She never missed a press conference … or a meeting.”
On Thursday, the family of Jackson Lee held a funeral service for the Democratic congresswoman, who served 14 terms representing Texas’ 18th district.
While delivering a eulogy, Vice President Kamala Harris, who also worked with Jackson Lee while a member of the CBC, described the Texas congresswoman as a “force of nature.”
She was “one of the smartest and most strategic legislators in Washington, D.C.,” said Harris, the former California senator. “She was also one of the most unrelenting.”
Harris drew laughs from the audience when she admitted “There were times … if I saw her walking down the hall, I would almost want to hide.”
“Because I knew,” she continued, “whatever else may be on my mind, Sheila Jackson Lee would require a very serious and specific conversation with you about what she had on her mind.”
“To know Sheila is to know how she could be tough,” shared Harris. “Jackson Lee was a change maker. She worked with all her heart to lift up the people of her city, of her state, and of our nation.”
Jackson Lee’s reputation for being “tough” earned her the respect of her colleagues on Capitol Hill.
U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., told theGrio that when he served as House whip, a leadership position responsible for tracking legislation and ensuring party members are present for votes, he chose Jackson Lee as his chief deputy whip.
“You select your chief deputy whips because of the relationships that they have with other members,” said Clyburn, “because of their ability to be innovative and to really persuade when it comes to trying to get a vote.”
“You always knew that you can count on Sheila,” said the congressman. “She was a very effective legislator and a very smart and compassionate public servant.”
Jackson Lee’s legislative impact notably led to the passage of a measure making Juneteenth a federal holiday. However, one of her signature pieces of legislation in recent years was HR 40, a bill that would create a U.S. commission to study reparations for African Americans. She took up the mantle of introducing the bill in every session of Congress after the passing of Rep. John Conyers of Michigan.
“She championed it up until her last days,” said Zoe Cadore, a friend and mentee of Jackson Lee, who worked as an intern in the congresswoman’s district office in 2010. “We still have not seen the passage of HR 40, but I think it just speaks to her perseverance.”
Though Jackson Lee was known for her fortitude, Cadore said she knew firsthand how selfless she was as a public servant. The Texas native came to know the congresswoman after Jackson Lee offered her an internship during a challenging time as a student at Spelman College. Due to financial hardship, Cadore was unable to remain enrolled for a semester.
“She didn’t know me. She didn’t know my mom. She had no reason to help,” said Cadore. “She never wanted to turn anyone away, even if they were not in her congressional district.”
Cadore said she and Jackson Lee remained close after her internship. They were members of the same sorority and shared Caribbean heritages.
“She introduced me to an entirely new world in D.C., with the Congressional Black Caucus, and she has guided me ever since that moment,” she told theGrio.
One of her fondest memories of Jackson Lee was when she moved on to work in the oil and gas industry. During a meeting on Capitol Hill, Jackson Lee was sure to tell a room full of executives, “Zoe worked for me, and she’s one of the best that you have. Take care of her.”
“That level of validation is so important, especially in a city where there still aren’t a lot of people of color, minorities, young people that are able to work in these jobs on K Street,” said Cadore. “We’re not the children of senators. We’re not family friends growing up with these members of Congress.”
Cadore’s relationship with Jackson Lee was enduring, and said she knew the congresswoman was proud of her.
Congresswoman Wilson said one of the last times she saw Jackson Lee was on the members’ elevator on Capitol Hill.
“She had lost a considerable amount of weight, and I knew that something was amiss,” she told theGrio. “I said, ‘Sheila, how you doing?’ She said, ‘I’m just pushing through.’”
Wilson said Jackson Lee’s commitment to serving the people was evident in her final months battling cancer, including in May, when she organized and participated in a virtual press conference for the anniversary of George Floyd’s police murder.
“She was sounding so strong and demanding, you couldn’t tell she was sick. But that’s her. That’s Sheila,” she recalled. “She was driven. She lived every day as if it was her last day to help people.”
Wilson admitted she remains “grief-stricken” over the loss of her friend and colleague.
“It makes me think of my own mortality and the mortality of the rest of the Congressional Black Caucus because she was so full of life. It shocked everyone,” she shared.
Cadore noted that in her final moments, Sheila Jackson Lee was surrounded by her family, including her husband, Elwyn Lee, daughter Erica Lee Carter, and son Jason Lee.
“I’m happy that that is how she lived her last moments, with the people that were closest to her and meant the most to her,” she said.
It doesn’t surprise Cadore that Jackson Lee soldiered on in her work serving the people of Houston and the nation, even while battling sickness.
“Some people say you should rest in your final days, but I think some people are ordained to do their work until God calls them home,” she contended. “And that is what she did.”