Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Houston on Thursday, August 1, 2024, to attend the funeral services for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, who passed away earlier this month following a battle with cancer.
The announcement was first shared by an official from Harris’ office with NBC News.
Harris and Jackson Lee shared a close friendship, having bonded over their shared work as elected officials and their membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation’s first historically Black sorority. Despite her demanding schedule as the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, Harris felt it was important to honor her friend and colleague.
“She wanted to make sure that she was there to pay her respects,” the official stated.
Throughout their careers, Harris and Jackson Lee collaborated on numerous legislative initiatives.
They worked together on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, ensuring clean water access, removing lead pipes from communities, allocating funding for historically Black colleges and universities, and addressing disparities in maternal health, particularly among Black women.
Additionally, they both championed making Juneteenth a federal holiday and worked tirelessly on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a police reform bill that remains stalled in Congress.
In a statement released following Jackson Lee’s death, Harris described her as a “tenacious advocate for justice and a tireless fighter for the people of Houston and the people of America.”
Harris praised Jackson Lee as a dedicated community advocate, an effective legislator, and a loyal colleague and friend.
“She saw what could be — a nation that is more equal, more fair, and more free — and she dedicated her life to realizing that vision,” Harris said.
Harris also reflected on their time serving together in Congress and as members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“To work alongside the Congresswoman was to marvel at her mastery of the legislative process,” Harris noted. “She was relentless — one of our nation’s fiercest, smartest, and most strategic leaders in the way she thought about how to make progress happen. There was never a trite or trivial conversation with the Congresswoman. She was always fighting for the people of Houston and the people of America.”
This trip marks Harris’ third visit to Texas in the past month and her second since becoming the Democratic front-runner.
Earlier this month, she attended a convention for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. in Dallas, and last week, she spoke at a convention for the American Federation of Teachers in Houston.
