Today In Black History: Sheila Jackson Lee
Groundbreaking and long-serving progressive Houston, Texas Congresswoman
Issue #677 Today In Black History, Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Did you know that you can listen to each “We Are Speaking” post on the Substack App? Download the app!
Help us to reach our July 2024 goals: +100 total new subscribers, including +15 paid subscribers:
Please share and subscribe to help us grow our publication.
If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
We appreciate your support!
Today’s Black History WOW!
Born on January 12, 1950, in Queens, New York, Sheila Jackson Lee was the daughter of Jamaican immigrant parents. She excelled academically, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Yale University in 1972. She then obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1975.
Sheila Jackson Lee began her career in law and public service. She moved to Houston, Texas, where she quickly became an influential figure. Jackson Lee served as an associate municipal judge from 1987 to 1990, and then as a Houston City Council member from 1990 to 1994. Her time on the City Council was marked by advocacy for affordable housing, public safety, and education.
In 1994, Jackson Lee was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas’s 18th congressional district, a position she has held with distinction ever since. Representing a district that includes much of inner-city Houston, Jackson Lee has been a potent voice for urban and minority communities.
Throughout her tenure in Congress, Jackson Lee championed a diverse array of issues:
Civil Rights: A fervent advocate for civil rights, she has worked tirelessly to combat racial discrimination and promote social justice. Her legislative efforts have often focused on addressing systemic inequalities in the criminal justice system.
Healthcare: Jackson Lee has been a staunch supporter of comprehensive healthcare reform, advocating for the Affordable Care Act and subsequent efforts to expand healthcare access to underserved populations.
Education: Understanding the importance of education, she has pushed for increased funding for public schools and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Hurricane Relief: Representing a region frequently impacted by hurricanes, Jackson Lee has been instrumental in securing federal disaster relief and advocating for improved infrastructure resilience.
Throughout her professional life, Congresswoman Jackson Lee faced racist criticisms about her progressive policies. One of the last tweets published by Congresswoman Jackson Lee, soon after the shooting at a Trump rally, requested that Trump and the MAGA Republicans “tone down” the violent political rhetoric.
Laura Loomer, a white nationalist and Donald Trump’s one-time favored pick for a campaign role, sparked outrage on social media by metaphorically dancing on a Black Congresswoman’s grave.
“Even on her death bed, this ghetto bitch couldn’t keep President Trump’s name out of her disgusting mouth,” the conservative TV host wrote in a series of posts on X. Loomer initially reposted one of Jackson’s last posts; a July 20 comment criticizing the former president.
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), known as a fierce champion for progressive causes, died on July 19, 2024, at age 74, shortly after she announced she was battling pancreatic cancer.
Today In Black History
In 1872, Black inventor Elijah McCoy was granted a patent for lubricators for railroad steam engines. His invention was the best of its kind, leading rail companies to ask for “the real McCoy.”
In 1900, the Pan-African Congress had its first meeting in London, and H. Sylvester Williams, Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, and Bishop Alexander Walters attended.
In 1920, British East Africa was renamed Kenya and became a British crown colony.
In 1962, baseball legend Jackie Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hame of Fame.
In 1967, 43 people were killed and more than 2,000 people were injured in the Detroit Rebellion. Federal troops were called in to quell the largest racial rebellion in a U.S. city in the 20th century.
Our paid subscribers are encouraged to discuss this post in our W.A.S. Chat Community.
Join Pamela Hilliard Owens’s subscriber chat
Available in the Substack app and on the web
You are also welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.