Grief, Grace & Gratitude: The Passing of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

Source: Thomas Shea / Getty

We’d only just caught our breath after hearing the news last month that Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  We worried, knowing it was a form of the disease rarely able to be caught in its earlier stages. But still we had hope. How could we not? For 30 years, the Congresswoman had been there for the people of Houston–and for Black people across the nation without falter.

She was loved, looked to and leaned upon throughout her career...