Buffy Jamison

Madam Speaker,

I rise today to ask the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Buffy Jamison, co-founder and co-chair of the Iowa Queer Communities of Color Coalition, as our Iowan of the Week for the final full week of Pride Month.

Pride 2020 has looked a little different than in years past. While the parades and events did not occur as originally planned, people of all genders and sexual orientations are still celebrating the tremendous strides and achievements that the LGBTQIA+ community has made throughout our history.

The observance of Pride means both commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which began on June 28th, 1969, as well as celebrating achievement, diversity, and acceptance of our LGBTQIA+ friends and family. Pride also reminds us that the fight for equality of opportunity and justice for all is not yet complete. Even fifty years later, the same rejection of police brutality and discrimination is at the forefront of our conscience, as an intersectional issue, and protests and activism are once again promoting necessary reform.

That’s why I’ve chosen Buffy as our Iowan of the Week. With the Iowa Queer Communities of Color Coalition, she works to address the inequity of services, socioeconomic disparities, and institutional racism experienced by communities through education, advocacy, intentional inclusivity, and organizing.

Buffy is a native Iowan who has worked both in a leadership role within community organizations and as an educator. After receiving her Master’s in Higher Education from the University of Denver, Buffy returned to Iowa to dedicate her time and efforts to helping educate the general public about our marginalized communities who are too often overlooked in vital conversations and policymaking.

As Program Coordinator and LGBTQ Healthcare Liaison working with One Iowa, Buffy has helped train thousands of people on issues of intersectionality and inclusion. By emphasizing education that exposes individuals to issues they may not come into contact within their own lives, she has been a leader in our state – making sure the voices of those long ignored by history are brought to the forefront.

Buffy works every single day to ensure our society actively considers the work still to be done. By shining a light on the challenges still ahead, and instructing our friends and neighbors on meaningful actions that can be undertaken at every level, she helps move us toward achieving a more perfect union.

In honor of Buffy’s contributions to our state, and the work she puts in every day, I’m proud to name her Iowan of the Week.