HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Family, friends, and fellow politicians are gathering to honor the life and legacy of longtime Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee at a celebration of life service on Thursday.
Jackson Lee got her political start in Houston as a municipal court judge and served on the city council. She then represented Texas’s 18th congressional district for nearly three decades and is credited with renewing the Violence Against Women Act and sponsoring the bill that made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
She died on July 19, just a little over a month after announcing that she’d been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Jackson Lee was 74 years old.
She was also a wife and mom. Her husband, Elwyn Lee, spoke at a community appreciation service on Wednesday night.
He said he remembers once when a storm hit Houston, he thought she would stay home because the water was so high, but instead, she had a fire truck come to pick her up so they could go help people.
“I said, ‘What are you doing?’ She gets on the fire truck, they go off, they deviate from their original route because somebody let her know somebody needed rescuing, so they go and rescue them. And later on, the next day I see her out on a boat in a flooded neighborhood,” Lee remembered.
Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris will deliver the eulogy at the celebration of life on Thursday.
READ MORE: Kamala Harris attends political events ahead of eulogy for Sheila Jackson Lee in Houston
Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the Sigma Gamma Rho national convention before delivering a eulogy for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
“Remembering Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee” started at 11 a.m. central time, with Harris scheduled to speak at 1:10 p.m.
The full service is streaming live in the video player above.
Among the attendees of Thursday’s service were Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and 42nd President of the United States William Jefferson Clinton.
“She spent years working to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, to memorialize the end of slavery,” Hillary Clinton said of the late Congresswoman.
“Before you know it, (Jackson Lee) made it onto the smallest list we kept in the White House when I was there. It was called the, ‘Just say yes’ list,” Bill Clinton added. “Pretty soon, Sheila made the list. She was the only freshman on that list. The list meant this: whatever it is they want, sooner or later, they’re going to do it.”
WATCH: The Clintons’ remarks on late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and 42nd President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton, honored Sheila Jackson Lee at her celebration of life.
The celebration of life is being held at Fallbrook Church. Thursday’s service is closed to the public.
Walters Road at Welington Parkway and Old Waters Road will be closed starting at 7:30 a.m. Drivers can take Veterans Memorial and T.C. Jester as an alternate route.
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden visited Houston to pay his respects to Jackson Lee as she lied in state at the Houston City Hall rotunda.
He left this message in the guestbook:
“Fearless, proud, and bold. May God bless a dear friend and great American. May God bless you, Sheila Jackson Lee.”
National and international dignitaries have been in and out of Houston all week, and security is top of mind.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee lies in state at City Hall as part of services honoring life
Late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is lying in state Monday inside the Houston City Hall rotunda.
Secret Service, federal, state, and local law enforcement were by the plenty on Monday night when Biden paid his respects.
“It’s a huge event and it’s going to be multilayers and multi-subjects that need to be protected,” James Conway, a counterterrorism expert and former member of the FBI, said. “Things are certainly heightened when you blend that with the threat matrix that are out there in the world. You can rest assured that security services and protection teams will be at their upmost.”
The Houston Police Department, the Department of Public Safety, the Secret Service, and other agencies were seen in large numbers during Biden’s visit.
“Thursday will be really the time when security services will be at their highest vigilance because you’ll have a lot of movement and you’re going to have movement across the city and that always complicates things,” Conway said.
Agencies will not talk about their plans so it is unclear how many law enforcement officers from every level of government are assisting in keeping the services and the city safe as so many honor the late congresswoman.
SEE ALSO: Houston under heightened security as dignitaries including Pres. Biden and VP Harris descend on city
Eyewitness News speaks with a former FBI official who gives a glimpse into what Houston can expect amid visits by several high-profile dignitaries for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s services.
For more news updates, follow Courtney Carpenter on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Copyright © 2024 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.