After Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and others bestowed accolades on state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, Texas’ longest serving legislator then brought the crowd to laughter at a ceremony to unveil two downtown murals, one that honors her.

“I want to say thank you,” said Rep. Thompson, who then broken into laughter when she added: “I am running for re-election. Just letting you know this is not – (with) all these pictures of me – that I’m retiring. I want to make sure that I get that out of the way.”

Behind Rep. Thompson a few blocks to the southeast, the mural on the north side of the Harris County Attorney’s Office building honors the legislator affectionately known as “Ms. T.” The artwork features her hypnotic eyes that see through the scales of justice and demand "Justice for All!" On the west side of the building, there’s the “Lady Justice Mural” that captures UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

The murals are inspired by Harris County’s planned Remembrance Park, which aims to create a space of recognition and discourse around the historical arc of racial terror and the continuing existence of systemic injustice in the country. On Friday, Feb. 10, Commissioner Ellis, County Attorney Christian Menefee, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, other elected officials and community leaders gathered on the University of Houston-Downtown’s south deck to unveil the murals and honor Rep. Thompson during Black History Month.

“The County Attorney’s building is on the site of one of the most popular slave auction trading blocks in Houston,” Commissioner Ellis said. “That, in part, is why I thought these two women would be important to be on this building. The two murals we are unveiling today are inspired by Black women.”

Commissioner Ellis started a parade of speakers who honored Rep. Thompson for her public service.

“Her legacy is built not just on these legislative achievements, but on the barriers she has broken and the obstacles she has overcome to achieve them,” Commissioner Ellis said. “She has served in the Legislature longer than any woman or any Black person in all of Texas history. For 50 years, she has been at the forefront for the fight of justice and equality under the pink dome in Austin and here at home as well.”

Rep. Jackson Lee, who introduced Rep. Thompson, called her “stoic and serious.”

“Her bills have impacted so many,” Rep. Jackson Lee said. “She was at the cornerstone of the James Byrd Hate Crime bill for those of you who remember that heinous act in our community. … She’s been a champion for women’s rights. She’s been a fighter against domestic violence. She’s a fighter for reproduction rights – successfully so. And, of course, she has been a fighter against human trafficking.”

County Attorney Menefee said words on his office’s logo -- integrity, community, justice and service – remind him of Rep. Thompson.

“All those words perfectly describe you in your legacy and the service that you have had to the people of the state of Texas,” Menefee said. “I consider it to be my honor to be in office when we are able to put you on the wall.”

Rep. Thompson said the murals mean so much to her. She said it’s not because her image is on one, but for what they represent.

“I was reared and was nurtured in my family and in my community to respect diversity, equity and inclusion,” she said. “That’s been the hallmark of my life and it will continue to be till God takes me home. We have to do things that will improve the lives of people on this earth.”