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Houston, Texas- U.S. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (pictured), a Houston Democrat and a revered champion of Civil, human and women's rights who represented the 18th congressional district in the Central Houston area of Texas since 1995, died Friday after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 74 and had won this year's Democratic nomination for reelection to Congress after losing a hotly contested race for mayor of Houston.

She leaves a legacy as an admired public servant, 30-year federal lawmaker, feminist activist, and Civil Rights pioneer. She fought for the rights of women and Black people without reservation.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Jackson Lee is survived by her longtime husband, Elwyn Lee, the vice president for community relations and institutional access at the University of Houston, and two adult children, Jason Lee and Erica Lee.

"With incredible grief for our loss yet deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of United States Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18th Congressional District of Texas," her family said in a statement Friday night.

Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered her condolences in a statement Friday.

"It is with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of my dear friend and colleague Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee." said Pelosi of her longtime congressional colleague. "Congresswoman Jackson Lee achieved a remarkable legislative record in the Congress for Houston and for our country. As a powerful voice for our Constitution and human rights, she fought tirelessly to advance fairness, equity and justice for all.All of us in the House Democratic Caucus were blessed to know Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and we will miss her dearly."

Born in Queens, New York, Jackson Lee earned a scholarship for Black students at New York University before transferring to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Yale University in 1972 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1975.[1][2] In 1987, after she had moved to Houston, she was appointed as a municipal judge for the city by Kathy Whitmire. In 1989, Jackson Lee was elected to the Houston City Council. She served in the office until 1994 when she began a campaign for Congress. In the Democratic primary, she defeated incumbent Craig Washington and went on to easily win the general election.

During her congressional tenure, Jackson Lee was a supporter of many progressive policies.[3] She introduced the Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act in 2013 and the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act in 2021. In 2019, Jackson Lee stepped down as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and a subcommittee in the House Judiciary after a lawsuit filed by a former staffer claimed she was fired due to planned legal action against an alleged rape by a supervisor.

Jackson Lee announced her candidacy for the 2023 Houston mayoral election in March of that year. In the first round, she placed second behind state senator John Whitmire. However, as no candidate crossed the 50% threshold to win outright, a runoff election occurred on December 9, 2023. Despite several key endorsements, Jackson Lee lost the election in a landslide to Whitmire. On December 11, she filed to run for re-election to her congressional seat and won the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024. She died from cancer on July 19, 2024.

Clevelandurbannews.com and KathywraycolemanonlinenewsBut blog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obam a interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.