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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E594-E595]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING KIMBERLY BAXTER AS IOWAN OF THE WEEK
______
HON. CYNTHIA AXNE
of iowa
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Mrs. AXNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of
Representatives to join me in recognizing Kimberly Baxter, Executive
Director of Special Projects and Director of the Iowa Accountability
Program for the Iowa Judicial Branch, as our Iowan of the Week.
To those who know her, Director Baxter's mission is very clear: leave
things better than how she found them. She strives to shine a light on
all voices--making sure everyone is not only heard but also
understood--and to unite our communities. She is a firm believer that
change starts when we make the effort to stop and listen to each other.
Over the years, Director Baxter has had many opportunities to further
that mission in the State of Iowa. She helped to establish Iowa's
first-ever domestic violence court and other innovative programs that
offer safety and resources to victims as well as offender
rehabilitation. In her current role as Executive Director of Special
Projects, she continues to provide assistance to and perspective on
underserved populations. Through the Iowa Accountability Program, she
seeks to make ``Good Courts--Great Courts'' by examining how the Iowa
Judicial Branch can improve policies on handling domestic violence
cases and enhancing access to justice.
In partnership with the Iowa Judicial Branch's Education Division,
Director Baxter also was instrumental in the development and co-
facilitation of an implicit bias training program; it included
Harvard's Implicit Association Test--which helps people to identify
subconscious preferences and gives them the chance to educate
themselves based on the results. This training was given to the Iowa
Supreme Court and became a requirement for all judicial employees to
participate.
Previously, Kimberly Baxter served as the Division Director for the
Iowa Department of Human Rights' Commission on the Status of African
Americans--where she tackled racial disparities and disproportionate
actions against Black Iowans. In this role, she also helped to create
programs to help educate Black leaders concerning domestic violence and
help people to understand the impacts of violence.
Kimberly Baxter also served as Board President of the Friends of Iowa
Civil Rights Commission, where she helped develop annual diversity
conferences that offered workshops on social awareness, self-care,
implicit bias, discrimination, and expanding organizational outreach to
communities of color. She also helped organize annual Friends Luncheons
to recognize Iowans' recent and lifetime efforts to improve civil
efforts across the state.
In addition to all this important work, Director Baxter also has
produced an annual statewide African American Resource Guide over the
past 15 years, mapping out Iowa's Black-owned small businesses,
organizations, and resources to help support Black communities
[[Page E595]]
across our state. Currently, Director Baxter is in the process of
making this Resource Guide digital, so it can be accessed from anywhere
and updated in real-time.
This week, we celebrate Juneteenth--a time to rejoice on the steps
towards greater freedom and justice but also a time to really reflect
on the choices that our country has made. Director Baxter called this a
time of recognition--knowing how far we have come, but also
understanding that there is still so much work to be done.
Today, I extend that spirit of recognition back to Kimberly Baxter.
Her goal has been--and remains--bettering Iowa's communities with each
passing day. We can honor the work she has done for our state while
holding her words with us to acknowledge that there is still much more
work to be done. In reflecting on the road ahead, she said that while
she doesn't believe justice has been delayed, she believes true
equality has been. She referenced the march at Selma--the images of
people of all colors and creeds locking arms and marching as a
community--seemed to be repeating itself with this current movement and
community activism. She expressed hope that this new movement would go
even further than we have before.
Iowa, and our entire nation, have come a long way since those steps
were taken 55 years ago. But we still must recognize that there is a
long road ahead to true equality. I want to recognize one of the women
who has worked so hard to get us to where we are today, but also who
encourages us to never settle and to continue fighting to leave things
better than we found them. It is my distinct honor to recognize
Kimberly Baxter as our Iowan of the Week.