Vice President Kamala Harris will fly to Houston on Thursday to attend funeral services for longtime Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, who died this month after a battle with cancer, according to an official who shared the details first with NBC News.
The official from Harris’ office said Harris and Jackson Lee were dear friends who bonded over their work as elected officials and as members of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation’s first historically Black sorority. As a result, Harris wanted to attend the services despite having a packed schedule now that she is the front-runner to become the Democratic nominee.
“She wanted to make sure that she was there to pay her respects,” the official said of Harris.
The official also said Harris connected with Jackson Lee on shared legislative goals both while Harris served in the Senate and when she became vice president, including reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, ensuring clean water and removing lead pipes from communities, allocating funding for historically Black colleges and universities, and focusing on disparities related to maternal health, especially as it relates to Black women.
The official also said the two worked together on making Juneteenth a federal holiday and on efforts to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a police reform bill that has been stalled.
In statement released at the time of Jackson Lee’s death, Harris described Jackson Lee as a “tenacious advocate for justice and a tireless fighter for the people of Houston and the people of America” who “distinguished herself as a dedicated advocate for her community, an effective legislator, and a fiercely loyal colleague and friend.” She also said Jackson Lee was “first and foremost, a leader dedicated to serving the people of her beloved city” of Houston and “a champion for women’s rights.”
“As a judge in Houston, a member of the Houston City Council, and a member of the United States Congress, Sheila Jackson Lee’s work improved the lives of millions of Americans,” Harris said in the statement. “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 also recalled working alongside Jackson Lee on legislation when they were serving in Congress together and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“To work alongside the Congresswoman was to marvel at her mastery of the legislative process,” Harris said in the statement. “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.”
Thursday’s trip will be Harris’ third visit to Texas in the last month and her second as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination.
Harris was also in Dallas earlier this month to speak at a convention for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. And last week, she spoke at a convention in Houston for the American Federation of Teachers, a large teachers union.