To honor Sheila Jackson Lee's memory, establish a commission to "reach into the dark past and bring us into a brighter future"

“I am a benefactor of the hills and valleys, the broken bodies and broken hearts, the loss of life of many who have gone on before me.”

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee The so-called “antiwoke” movement in the United States is determined to obscure the nation’s ugly history of slavery, segregation, and discrimination.

But Sheila Jackson Lee saw the beauty in that history.

“The Constitution did not grant us citizenship or even status as one human being, but we survived,” she said. “We had the Harriet Tubman of the world, the Sojourner Truth of the world. We had the Frederick Douglass of the world. That is the beauty of America. We were resilient, we should tell that story. Brutality comes with survival and success.”

Lee, who passed away on July 19, inspired a generation of public servants and activists with her fearlessness and indomitable spirit. She fought tirelessly for racial justice and equal opportunity, speaking up for those who too often go unheard.