US congresswoman Jackson Lee dies at 74

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat and outspoken advocate for racial justice and minorities rights has died, her family said on Friday. She was 74.

Lee, a Black representative from Texas, who served in Congress for nearly three decades, revealed last month that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“Today, with incredible grief for our loss yet deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of Representative Sheila Jackson Lee,” her family said in a statement posted on social platform X.

The family described her as “a fierce champion of the people” and a “humanitarian”.

The Congressional Black Caucus paid tribute to the “titan and stalwart member of Congress” and “a fierce advocate for social and economic justice, national and homeland security, energy independence, and children and working families”.

Former president Bill Clinton in a statement called her “a fearless fighter for the people” and “one of our country’s most effective leaders”.

“Throughout her nearly 30 years in Congress, she was an unwavering champion for women and children, a staunch advocate for sensible gun reform, a relentless defender of the Constitution and the cause of justice,” said Clinton.

During her tenure she served, among other things, on the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security and the House Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget.

She also led some key legislative initiatives, including authoring the Violence Against Women’s Act and the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.

Last year she showed up at an anti-Asian hate protest in Houston, taking several Asian children on stage to declare “Stop the Asian hate, stand for the American flag.”

AFP