Vice President Kamala Harris paid her respects to the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) on Aug. 1, delivering a eulogy honoring the congresswoman’s decades of service to the United States at a church in Houston.
Jackson Lee, 74, died on July 19, just more than a month after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was one of the most prominent black congressional leaders since she began representing Texas’s 18th district in 1995.
She led the charge to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, worked to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, supported the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act, and founded the Congressional Children’s Caucus.
“No matter the issue—from delivering racial justice to building an economy for working people—she was unrelenting in her leadership,” President Joe Biden said in a statement after Jackson Lee’s death.
In her eulogy, Harris called Jackson Lee a “fierce champion for justice” and a dear friend, recounting the congresswoman’s work firsthand while serving as a senator from California.
“There was no task too big or too small for the congresswoman,” Harris said.
“To know her was to marvel at her mastery of the legislative process … Sheila Jackson was one of the smartest and most strategic legislators in Washington, DC.”
Harris thanked the congresswoman’s family for allowing “her to give so much to our country” after many years of support.
The vice president was joined by former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Harris spoke of Jackson Lee’s battle to keep public pools open during a historic Houston heat wave after the city proposed closing them to save money during a budget shortfall. She worked with local business leaders to raise the funds to keep the pools open.
“She never lost an opportunity to fight for the people she served, and her fight was born out of love. She had a big, big heart. Very few people have loved the people of Houston more than Sheila Jackson Lee,” the vice president said.
Harris recounted calling the congresswoman a few days before her death to thank her and express gratitude for the “impact on me and my life.”
“She was a force, but she never allowed anything to be mediocre. She always expected, in all of us, that we would rise to a point of excellence, knowing life was too short and there’s too much to be done,” Harris said.
“I expressed to her my personal gratitude for her long-standing friendship and inspiration … her courage and her conviction and her relentless focus on those who are too often left out and left behind, and her unwavering belief in the power that we each have to change our country for the better.”
The vice president called Jackson Lee a “change-maker” for her community and the country at large.
“She worked with all her heart to lift up the people of her city, of her state, and of our nation.
“And to honor her memory, let us continue to fight to realize the promise of America—a promise of freedom, opportunity, and justice—not just for some, but for all.”
In the meantime, Harris has another important date on her calendar. She said she would name her running mate ahead of a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Aug. 6.
The names believed to be on her vice presidential shortlist include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
The United Auto Workers endorsed her on July 31, joining the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers, and other unions that have endorsed Harris since she launched her campaign on July 21.
