[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 120 (Tuesday, June 30, 2020)]
[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.