Black Greekdom Mourns The Passing of Alpha Kappa Alpha Congresswoman Shiela Jackson Lee

Black greekdom is currently mourning the death of Rep. Shiela Jackson Lee(D-Texas) a prominent member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Rep. Jackson Lee was 74 years old.

Representing Texas’s 18th Congressional District for over three decades, Jackson Lee was a key figure on the House Judiciary Committee from her election in 1995.

Jackson Lee championed critical issues including police reform, reparations for enslaved people, and women’s rights. She authored the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday, and was influential in the Violence Against Women Act.

A native of Queens, New York, Jackson Lee earned degrees from Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law. In Congress, she served on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget Committees, and was the first female Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance.

Initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated in 1988, Jackson Lee was honored as a Silver member. Divine 9 fraternities and sororities took to social media over the weekend to pay their respects to her and her lasting legacy.

Read the statements made by the NPHC fraternities and sororities below:

We at Watch The Yard ask that you keep Rep. Shiela Jackson Lee’s family, friends and sorority sisters in your thoughts. We also ask that you leave your condolences and memories of her so that her family can see how much she meant to all of us.