[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E15]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING THE LIFE AND MEMORY OF ALICE KITCHEN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 8, 2026

  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with immense sorrow along with 
Missouri's 5th Congressional District, to commemorate the life and 
legacy of a great Kansas Citian, Ms. Alice Kitchen. The fruits of 
Alice's advocacy for women, children, and marginalized communities will 
live on for generations to come. Alice was a force to be reckoned with, 
stopping at nothing to ensure that others could live free of abuse, 
injustice, and discrimination. Her undeniable impact will continue to 
grace Kansas City with inspiration.
  Alice's long history of advocacy began when as a high school student, 
she became involved with Guadalupe Center as a volunteer in the 1950s. 
As she saw the many families in predominately Hispanic neighborhoods in 
Kansas City who lacked access to food, running water, and electricity 
disturbed her, she questioned the morality behind sitting by when 
others lived that way. After graduating from her Catholic high school, 
she moved to Encino, California, where she joined the Sisters of Social 
Service convent where she ministered to domestic workers in Beverly 
Hills, most of whom were Mexican immigrants. These individuals, she 
described, were lonely, poorly paid, and isolated. She took those 
experiences and paved a life of activism. After graduating with her 
master's degree in social work at the University of California--Los 
Angeles (UCLA), Alice returned to Kansas City to work in a legal aid 
office where she helped young, first-time offenders avoid longer 
criminal records. With a love for social services, she continued her 
career at Children Mercy's where she served as the director of social 
services for two decades. Under her leadership, she sought funding for 
specialized treatments needed by children with medical issues and 
initiated programs to assist young mothers fight their battles with 
addiction.
  Alice was devoted to bringing light to issues she believed in, and a 
full-time job was not going to hold her back. During Alice's voluntary 
night shifts, she established Amethyst Place, a supportive housing 
program that served mothers and children recovering from abuse, 
organized neighborhood cleanups as a board member of the Kansas City 
Housing Authority and assisted young mothers in obtaining health 
insurance. As a volunteer co-chair of the Affordable Care Public 
Education Committee in the Kansas City Metropolitan area, she advocated 
for the expansion of Medicaid and accessible healthcare. In March of 
2012, her efforts were recognized, and Alice received the Champion of 
Change award from President Barack Obama at the White House. Gender 
equity and advocating for policies that support women was another 
mission that peaked Alice's interest. During her time with the League 
of Women Voters and Women's Equality, she was able to educate women 
voters and bring light to the disparities women were facing within 
workplaces. Her fearlessness led Jane McQueeney, a friend of Kitchen, 
to give testimony to the City Council in Kansas City when McQueeney was 
receiving less pay when working for the federal government. Kitchen 
worked with Kansas City to adopt an ordinance to prohibit 
discrimination against women and to stop employers from penalizing 
women with less experience.
  When it was time for retirement, Alice saw it as an opportunity to do 
her evening tasks full-time. At age 69, she traveled to the Mosquito 
Coast of Honduras on a human rights observation mission. She took her 
mission on headfirst and investigated bullet holes in boats, houses 
that had burned down, and wounded villagers with her international 
activist group, the Cross Border Network. Alice never stopped looking 
for a way to improve the lives of others or to push anyone to their 
fullest potential. She lived her life to her fullest potential, and she 
continues to inspire others to do the same. In fact, she had a knack 
for finding strengths in people before they did themselves and pushed 
them to foster their strengths. As a woman who was one in a million, 
she continued to prove to the people who surrounded her, that they were 
also just as special.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring the life of Alice Kitchen. 
Her passing is devastating, but the legacy she leaves behind reminds us 
that no matter how short life tends to be, we can still make a world of 
difference. While she is not here to grace the community in Kansas City 
with her valiant voice, or her indominable spirit, her soul will live 
on through the extensive and beautiful legacy that she built. The 
legacy she left has lit fires under enough people in Kansas City, so 
they can forage through the noise and echo her advocacy, which will 
keep her spirit alive for eternity.

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