Kamala Harris celebrates the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee as a ‘force of nature’ and a mentor

HOUSTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday eulogized longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee as a “force of nature” as memorials for the longtime Democratic lawmaker drew to a close.

Harris took time away from her presidential campaign to describe Jackson Lee, who represented Houston in Congress, as a coalition builder and expert in the legislative process. Harris joked about hiding in the hall when Jackson Lee walked by because the lawmaker was so intense.

“She always expected in all of us that we would rise to a point of excellence, knowing that life was too short and there’s too much to be done,” Harris said. She said she called Jackson Lee, who died July 19 at age 74 after being treated for pancreatic cancer, a few days before then to express her gratitude for their friendship.

“To honor her memory, let us continue to fight,” Harris said.

Harris is poised to be the first Black woman to be a major party’s presidential candidate, and Jackson Lee was one of Congress’ most prominent Black women during her nearly three decades in Washington. Jackson Lee helped lead federal efforts to protect women from domestic violence and recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday.

More than 50 members of the U.S. House attended Thursday’s funeral service. New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said Jackson Lee was a “voice for the voiceless.”

The crowd of several hundred in the church cheered and often stood during the service and at times people in the audience yelled out, “Thank you Sheila.”

Former President Bill Clinton said Jackson Lee was on his “just say yes” list whenever she called him during his time in office. She “really believed that we are all created equal,” he said, emphasizing, “We are the longest lasting democracy in human history because we had enough people like Sheila Jackson Lee.”

Services for Jackson Lee began on Monday when hundreds of people paid their respects to her as her body lay in state in a flag-draped coffin inside Houston’s City Hall. President Joe Biden placed a bouquet of flowers near her casket and visited with Jackson Lee’s family.

Arva Howard, 72, who was among the hundreds to pay respects Thursday, said Jackson Lee cared deeply for people. “We always knew if we needed something solved, Sheila was the person to go to,” Howard said.

Before the service, Calandrian Simpson Kemp, 53, posed next to a large photo of Jackson Lee in the church’s foyer while holding up a photo of her 20-year-old son, George Kemp Jr., who died from gun violence in 2013. Simpson Kemp said Jackson Lee was a mentor in Simpson Kemp’s efforts to stop gun violence and enact common sense gun laws after her son’s death.

“When I think of Sheila and her legacy, I think about empowerment. I think about the power of one,” Simpson Kemp said. “She never let up for people. She left it all on the battlefield, and I think it’s up to us now to pick up the torch.”

Jackson Lee represented her Houston-based district since 1995. She previously had breast cancer and announced the pancreatic cancer diagnosis on June 2.

Before being elected to Congress, Jackson Lee served on Houston’s city council from 1990 to 1994.

In Washington, Jackson Lee established herself as a fierce advocate for women and minorities and a leader for House Democrats on many social justice issues, from policing reform to reparations for descendants of enslaved people. She led the first rewrite of the Violence Against Women Act in nearly a decade, which included protections for Native American, transgender and immigrant women.

Jackson Lee unsuccessfully ran to be Houston’s mayor last year.

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Juan A. Lozano And Chris Megerian, The Associated Press