Vice President Harris Returns to Houston for ‘Celebration of Life’ Ceremony for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about implementing Florida’s abortion ban during an event Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Vice President Kamala Harris will return to Houston next week to attend a ceremony celebrating the life of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, according to a news release from the vice president’s office.

Jackson Lee died on July 20, according to The Hill. She had announced earlier in June that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

According to Hill, Jackson Lee served in Congress for nearly three decades.

In Harris’ press release, she called Jackson Lee “a tenacious advocate for justice and a tireless fighter for the people of Houston and the American people.”

Harris visited the city of Houston’s emergency operations center to get a briefing on ongoing recovery efforts after Hurricane Beryl, which ravaged the Texas coast earlier this month.

On Thursday, Harris delivered the keynote address at the 88th National Convention of the American Federation of Teachers — the nation’s largest teachers union — and spoke before thousands of people in a key Democratic voting bloc.

Earlier this week, the AFT executive board voted unanimously to nominate Harris for president — the first union to do so.

Monica Madden contributed to this report