Harris and Democratic leaders honor Jackson Lee at a church service in Houston

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers the eulogy during a service for U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee at Fallbrook Church in Houston. Brandon Bell | Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, praised the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, one of the most prominent Black lawmakers in Congress, in a Thursday eulogy focused on the Texan’s decades of fierce advocacy.

“Her fight was born out of love, she had a huge heart,” Harris said. “Very few people have loved the people of Houston as much as Sheila Jackson Lee.”

Fallbrook Church in Houston hosted Jackson Lee’s farewell service. Local and national leaders praised Jackson Lee for his public service.

Jackson Lee announced in early June that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment. He passed away on July 19 at the age of 74.

She survived a previous diagnosis of breast cancer.

Harris said Jackson Lee sometimes had to “get a little creative” to help her constituents. She noted that the city of Houston had a budget deficit in 2011 and was closing outdoor public pools and several community centers over the summer.

“Well, Sheila Jackson Lee disagreed,” Harris said.

Harris recounted how Jackson Lee called business owners and convinced them to donate more than $350,000 to keep pools and community centers open.

“She touched the lives of people across our country,” Harris said.

Advocate for the black community and women

A longtime advocate for progressive causes, Jackson Lee is known for her work on federal protections for women from domestic violence and making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

She was also an advocate for reparations for descendants of enslaved African Americans, civil rights, and voting rights. In 2021, Jackson Lee was arrested for civil disobedience in connection with a federal voting rights bill.

She also served as a leader of the Congressional Black Caucus and as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the caucus’s nonprofit arm.

“He worked with all his heart to help the people of his city, his state, and our nation. And to honor his memory, let us continue to fight to make the promise of America a reality,” Harris said. “A promise of freedom, opportunity, and justice — not just for some, but for all.”

Before Jackson Lee was elected to Congress, she served on the Houston City Council from 1990 to 1994.

He joined the House in 1995 and served this Congress on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee.

Recognitions in Houston

Several members of Congress, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, paid their respects at Thursday’s service.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also made comments.

Jackson Lee served as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign and gave a speech at that year’s Democratic National Convention.

Hillary Clinton said she had a message for Jackson Lee: Democrats will “continue the good work.” She added that she hoped Jackson Lee could see Harris sworn in as the first Black and Asian-American woman president if she wins in November.

Jeffries said Jackson Lee was well-liked by her colleagues in Congress and that he was struck by how Jackson Lee was “always in the spotlight.”

“I don’t think there’s been a single event at the Capitol that she’s missed,” Jeffries said.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington said Jackson Lee was brave and caring.

“She believed in our collective power to stand up for justice and pushed us all forward with her strength and vision,” Jayapal said.

President Joe Biden paid his respects earlier this week, bringing a bouquet of flowers to a service at Houston City Hall on Monday.

“She spoke truth to power and represented the power of the people of her district in Houston with dignity and grace,” Biden said.

During her visit, she also offered her condolences to her immediate family: her husband, Elwyn Lee, and her two adult children, Erica Lee Carter and Jason Lee, according to White House staff reports.

At the service there was a guest book that Biden signed: “Fearless, proud and bold. May God bless a dear friend and great American. God bless you, Sheila Jackson Lee,” according to the White House.