[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 15 (Friday, January 24, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E67]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IOWAN OF THE WEEK MARY CAMPOS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CYNTHIA AXNE

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 24, 2020

  Mrs. AXNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing Ms. Mary Campos, a longtime 
Iowan civil rights activist. Campos was the first Latina inducted into 
the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame. In 2017, she received the American Civil 
Liberties Union Edward S. Allen Award for her time helping non-English 
speaking families learn English and helping them through the steps to 
become a U.S. Citizen. She has also earned the Ohtli Award, the highest 
honor given from the Mexican government to a Mexican descendent for her 
work assisting Mexican immigrants. She has served on the Iowa Civil 
Rights Commission and the League for United Latin American Citizens and 
was one of the founders of the National Black and Brown Forum. Campos, 
who turned 90 in November, is still serving her community in various 
capacities.
  Ms. Campos received an honorary nursing degree from the Des Moines 
Area Community College. Al Exito, a catalyst for the empowerment of 
Latino youth in Iowa, conducted the third annual Mary E. Campos 
Luncheon where DMACC President, Rob Denson, presented the honorary 
degree. Al Exito started the Mary E. Campos Scholarship to help honor 
Campos' dream of seeing young people, especially students of color, 
earn higher education degrees and fill positions of leadership within 
their communities.
  It is an honor to celebrate the outstanding achievements of Ms. 
Campos and celebrate the determination and hard work that she and other 
activists like her have put into Iowa. I have great respect and 
admiration for folks who stand up for people who can't always stand up 
for themselves, and I am humbled by Ms. Campos' decades and decades of 
bravery and compassion.
  I applaud Ms. Mary Campos for her unwavering dedication. Let us be of 
service this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and remember the important 
work of Dr. King that lives on in people like Mary Campos.

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