By Evaristo Lara
20 Jul 2024, 12:19 PM EDT
After asking friends and loved ones to pray for her last month as she battled pancreatic cancer, Sheila Jackson Lee, Democratic representative and advocate for African Americans, died at the age of 74.
It was not the first time that the representative for District 18 of Texas faced cancer, since In 2011, she had already suffered from a similar disorder, although, on that occasion, it was breast cancer.an illness from which he managed to recover after a year of treatment.
“Please keep me and my family in your prayers as you always have. Know that you will remain in mine.
The road ahead will not be easy, but I have faith that God will strengthen me,” she wrote on June 4.
But this time, the woman who had served in the House of Representatives since 1995 and who also served on the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Budget committees was outmatched. due to illness.
In a statement shared on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, the family of the Democrat born in Queens, New York, reported her death.
“It is with incredible pain at our loss, but with profound gratitude for the life she shared with us, that we announce the passing of U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas’ 18th Congressional District.
She was a local, national and international humanitarian, recognized worldwide for her courageous struggles for racial justice, criminal justice and human rights, with special emphasis on women and children.
“Her legislative victories impacted millions of people, from establishing the federal Juneteenth holiday to reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act,” the letter reads in part.
Sheila Jackson Lee was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1994, after defeating then-Representative Craig Washington in the Democratic primary. He then defeated his Republican opponent in the general election and has since managed to remain in office.
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