[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 23, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E754]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   PASSING OF REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 23, 2024

  Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, with the passing of Congresswoman Sheila 
Jackson Lee, the people of Texas have lost a great leader and a devoted 
public servant, and we in the Congressional Black Caucus have lost a 
dear friend.
  I join in sending my heartfelt condolences to her husband, Dr. Elwyn 
Lee, their two children: Jason and Erica, and their two grandkids: 
Ellison and Roy during this difficult time.
  Congresswoman Jackson Lee was more than just a colleague. She was my 
sorority sister, a mentor, and a dear friend. She was never afraid to 
stand up for what she believed, and she never stopped fighting for the 
people she served.
  There is no question that our Nation is better off for her decades of 
public service and her tireless advocacy on behalf of her constituents.
  A champion for racial justice, police reform, and combating violence 
against women, Sheila will be remembered as a fierce advocate, not only 
for the people of Texas, but Americans all across this Nation.
  To know that her life was cut short by a diagnosis of pancreatic 
cancer is heartbreaking. It is the very same disease that claimed the 
life of our dear colleague, John Lewis, and my beloved mother, Nancy 
Gardner Sewell. By the end of this year, an estimated 51,000 Americans 
will lose their battles to pancreatic cancer as well. This is why I 
have made it my mission to reduce racial disparities in this disease to 
double down on our Nation's effort to prevent, screen, treat, and 
eventually find a cure.
  Sheila will be dearly missed in the House of Representatives. I will 
always cherish her mentorship and her words of wisdom. She always 
inspired us to work harder and fight harder for the people we 
represent.
  I join my colleagues in celebrating her extraordinary life and 
career. May her legacy live on through the many lives she touched.

                          ____________________