Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a eulogy at the late Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's memorial service in Houston on Thursday, hailing the longtime lawmaker as a “fierce champion for justice” and a “force of nature." 

What You Need To Know

  • Vice President Kamala Harris hailed Sheila Jackson Lee as a “fierce champion for justice” and a “force of nature” while in Houston on Thursday to deliver the eulogy at the late Texas congresswoman’s memorial service 
  • Jackson Lee, who served 15 terms in Congress, died in July at 74 years old. In June the Houston congresswoman announced she had pancreatic cancer 
  • Harris also referred to the congresswoman as a “national leader,” who “touched the lives of people all over our country,” running through a list of some of her accomplishments, including introducing a bill that led to Juneteenth becoming a national holiday during the Biden-Harris administration
  • Harris on Thursday noted that she had called Jackson Lee a few days before she died to express her “sincere and deep gratitude for all she had done"

“I had the honor to work directly with Sheila on many issues over the years and to observe firsthand her leadership – and she truly was a force of nature,” Harris said on Thursday afternoon. “When it came to her constituents, there was no task too big or too small for the congresswoman. If it needed to be done, she made sure it was done and done right.” 

Jackson Lee, who served 15 terms in Congress, died in July at 74 years old. In June, the Houston congresswoman announced she was battling pancreatic cancer. 

Harris on Thursday noted that she had called Jackson Lee a few days before she died to express her “sincere and deep gratitude for all she had done.”

“And I told her she had such an impact on me and my life,” Harris, a fellow member of the Congressional Black Caucus when she was in the Senate, said. “You know, to know Sheila is to know how she could be tough, but, oh, my goodness, she was so loving and so encouraging.”

“And she always encouraged me,” Harris continued. “And so, I called to thank her for that.”

The vice president, now the likely 2024 Democratic nominee for president, went on to call the late congresswoman “unrelenting,” sharing memories about seeing her walking down the halls in the Capitol when Harris was a senator and almost wanting “to hide.” 

“Because I knew whatever else may be on my mind, Sheila Jackson Lee would require a very serious and specific conversation with you about what she had on her mind and then she would tell you exactly what she needed you to do to help her get it done,” Harris said with a laugh. 

The vice president noted her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, and Jackson Lee “struck up a fast friendship in recent years” and the pair, she said, hosted several events with the Jewish community in Houston together. 

“Because Sheila, of course, was also a coalition builder and she fought for everybody, knowing that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us,” she said. 

Harris also referred to the congresswoman as a “national leader,” who “touched the lives of people all over our country,” running through a list of some of her accomplishments, including helping reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and introducing a bill that facilitated Juneteenth becoming a national holiday during the Biden-Harris administration. 

“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,” the vice president concluded. “And, Sheila, we are going to miss you dearly – we will carry your spirit with us every day in all the work that we have ahead.”

President Joe Biden paid his repects to the late congresswoman on a trip to Texas earlier this week.