[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 120 (Tuesday, June 30, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E594]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING ARIKA SAMANTHA TRIM

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 30, 2020

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, it is with great sadness that I 
rise today to honor and remember the life of Arika Samantha Trim, my 
former committee press secretary. Arika tragically passed away at the 
age of 29 on June 23, 2020, just a week after giving birth to her son 
Djai.
  I first had the honor of meeting Arika shortly after I became ranking 
member on what was then the Committee on Education and the Workforce. 
Arika joined my committee staff in April 2015 as our press secretary 
and was later promoted to deputy communications director.
  Arika brought significant experience to the Committee's press team. A 
native of Tobago, Arika was a 2008 graduate of Oxon Hill High School in 
Maryland. After graduating Lee University in Tennessee in 2012 with a 
degree in public relations, she interned with the Office of First Lady 
Michelle Obama. She then went on to join the communications staff at 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a press assistant. She was 
critical to communicating and amplifying the important work of 
Democrats on the Education and the Workforce Committee to the media and 
the American people. Arika played a key role in many of our key 
legislative successes during my first three years as the top Democrat 
on the Committee, including defending the Affordable Care Act, 
promoting the importance of school meals and child nutrition, and 
original introduction of the Raise the Wage Act. I will forever be 
grateful for her work and dedication to America's students, workers, 
and families.
  Arika left the committee in early 2018 to join the communications 
staff of the American Hospital Association. I know Arika played an 
outsized role there communicating the needs of hospitals, most recently 
the impact on our hospitals of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  Losing someone at such a young age with so much more to give to the 
world is tragic, and I cannot fathom the loss that Arika's mother 
Donna, family, and many friends are going through at this time.
  The untimely death of Arika challenges us as policy makers to reckon 
with the disturbing reality that plagues far too many women, especially 
Black women in this country. That is, regardless of income or 
educational achievement, Black mothers are three to four times more 
likely to die of pregnancy related illnesses than White mothers.
  The COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened the systemic health and 
social racial inequities in our nation. The Black maternal health 
crisis is only getting worse and has gone unaddressed for far too long. 
Congress must take bold action and immediately pass comprehensive 
legislation to address this issue, including the Black Maternal Health 
Momnibus Act and the Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity 
Awareness Act or MOMMA's Act. These bills would make critical 
investments to support Black mothers, including 12-month postpartum 
Medicaid coverage, investing in rural maternal health, promoting a more 
diverse perinatal workforce, and addressing implicit bias in our health 
care system.
  Madam Speaker, I hope that we can honor the life and legacy of Black 
mothers like Arika and finally end the Black maternal health crisis. I 
hope that Arika's family knows that her legacy of public service will 
continue to endure and motivate our important work.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to include in the Record a statement from 
the American Hospital Association in honor of Arika Trim.

  Statement From the American Hospital Association on the Passing of 
                               Arika Trim

        (By Rick Pollack, AHA President and CEO, June 30, 2020)

       Starting in January 2018 until her passing, Arika Trim 
     served as Associate Director of Media Relations at the 
     American Hospital Association. We convey to the nation the 
     association's expression of grief. As a communications 
     professional at the AHA, Arika was passionate about her work 
     to ensure that all patients have access to affordable health 
     care. Her warm manner a gentle smile let everyone who had the 
     privilege of working with her know that in Arika, they had 
     found a friend. She has left us far too soon.
       We grieve for her family and her beautiful new son, and 
     that her time with us as our friend and colleague has ended. 
     Please know that Arika will always live on in the hearts and 
     memories of her friends at the AHA, and that our thoughts and 
     prayers are with her family and all those who were fortunate 
     to have known her.

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