(RepublicanJournal.org) – A Texas Democrat who shattered multiple glass ceilings and worked to improve the lives of millions of Americans has died. The lawmaker made improving access to healthcare and better educational opportunities part of her life’s work, emerging as a champion among her peers. She was 88 years old when she died.
Democratic Texas leader Eddie Bernice Johnson was a force to be reckoned with during her time in office. She helped draw a new House congressional district in the 1990s, a seat she would win in 1992. The move made her the sole female from Texas in the US House at that time.
She spent three terms there before making the jump to the Senate, but the lawmaker returned to the House in 1992 where she remained until January 2022. She was the first Black woman to hold a seat in Texas, and she was the first person of color from Dallas to be elected to Congress.
Johnson became chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2001, remaining in the position through 2003, and she served as chair of the US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology beginning in 2019. She also improved transportation in North Texas by securing a federal grant to expand use of the region’s light rail system, allowing for longer trains and room for more passengers.
Her tireless work led to Ebony Magazine listing her as among the top “100 Most Influential African Americans” in 1993 and 1994. The publication named her again in 2001 as among the “10 Most Powerful African American Women.”
Texas Mayor Eric L. Johnson (R) shared the news of his fellow lawmaker’s death on X, the social media outlet formerly known as Twitter, expressing sadness over the loss and calling the deceased lawmaker a “legendary American.” President Joe Biden also issued a statement in a press release offering his condolences, as well as those of his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, to Eddie Bernice Johnson’s surviving son and three grandchildren.
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