The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN MEMORY OF ZENOBIA VIOLA HARRIS BIVENS
______
HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE
of texas
in the house of representatives
Friday, January 28, 2022
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, today I rise with a heavy heart, to remember the life of a special young woman, and to celebrate a life interrupted too soon.
Zenobia Viola Harris Bivens, 40, of Houston, Texas, passed away on January 8, 2022 after a sudden and unexpected case of meningitis.
Zenobia was a mother, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, cousin, and friend. She was born on September 15, 1981, in Goldsboro, North Carolina at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base to Johnny Harris Jr. and Major Regina V. Harris. She is preceded in death by her father, Johnny Harris Jr. and is survived by her husband, Darvell Bivens; son, Dean Roque Harris Bivens; mother, Regina V. Harris; sister, LaGina R. Harris; and brother, Johnny B. Harris III and his wife, Jessica M. Saulter Harris.
Zenobia's greatest impact was sharing her heart and time with those that knew and loved her, especially Darvell, her college sweetheart and best friend for over 20 years. Together they gathered a `Village' of educators, friends and family to create a loving, fun, and nurturing environment for their son Dean. Zenobia based her actions on her family values of `God, Family, and Education'.
Zenobia graduated from San Angelo Central High School in 1999 and went on to attend college at West Texas A&M where she won a National Title in Speech and Debate was named University Woman of the Year, was featured in Glamour Magazine, and met the love of her life--Darvell Bivens. She graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication--Broadcasting.
She received the Future Faculty Fellowship (full scholarship to receive master's degree and doctorate) to attend the University of Alabama. While at the University, Zenobia was the co-founder of the Coalition for Change (organization dedicated to identifying and preserving historic Civil Rights sites including discovering unmarked graves of the enslaved on the campus grounds).
She graduated summa cum laude with a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of Alabama. Zenobia then attended Northwestern University--Pritzker Law School where she was a legal extern to former Senator Barack Obama and graduated cum laude with a Doctor of Jurisprudence.
In her profession, Zenobia's achievements are numerous and impressive. Zenobia served as clerk for the Honorable Carl E. Stewart of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit and the Honorable Justice Dale Wainwright (ret.) of the Texas Supreme Court. She was a renowned trial and appellate lawyer.
She served as counsel in cases involving NASA, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development among many. Her cases were featured in Forbes, The New York Times, and The Houston Chronicle.
Zenobia successfully argued a case before the United States Supreme Court. At the time of her death, Zenobia was a Managing Partner for the Frost, Brown & Todd Law Firm.
She was relentless in her pursuit for justice, and this was evident in her pro bono advocacy work as she was particularly passionate about helping those who had been denied justice by the legal system that she so cherished.
Zenobia was truly a force of nature. She commanded attention and respect in any space she entered, be it a family room, courtroom, a garden, or even a podium for one of her epic speeches.
Anyone meeting Zenobia for the first time might have been intimidated by the sheer power of her presence. Those who knew Zenobia realized that one of her most significant impacts was in the one-on-one discussions, when her questions or advice could provide new confidence or reveal a new strength in those she loved.
Zenobia did not get the quantity of time on Earth she deserved or that we wanted; what she lacked in quantity, she more than made up for with quality. Zenobia once mentioned that the greatest people in history made their biggest impacts early in their lives.
She was taken physically from this world much too soon, but Zenobia leaves it, and us, better.
As Zenobia walked ahead of us, she set the bar high and built upon the foundation her predecessors laid. She walked beside us, as a companion on our own journeys of growth. She supported and sustained us when we fell. As a result of having known her, we are invigorated and stronger.
Zenobia did her work to change the world now, we must honor her by continuing ours.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 18
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
House Representatives' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
Alerts Sign-up