The Iowa Commission of Latino Affairs announced the honorees for the fourth annual Latino Hall of Fame in August. In addition to inducting people into the Hall of Fame, they would also present the Iowa Latinx Youth Leadership Award, the Robert D. Ray Award for Equity and Justice and for the first time ever, the Iowa LGBTQIA Leadership Award.
Commission Chair Caleb Knutson announced the winner with a side promise: "Each year, from here on, the commission will honor an LGBTQIA person of color that’s making a difference in the state of Iowa.”
The award went to Buffy E. Jamison. Jamison is the picture of intersectionality. They prefer they/them pronouns and identifies as a nonbinary, gender fluid, Black individual with autism. But, they’re not Latino at all. That’s why Jamison was confused at first when the Commission of Latino Affairs called to tell them about their award.
“The fact that it is underneath the Latino Hall of Fame and this is an award that, you know, goes along with that. I mean, it just speaks to, first of all, the heart that people of color tend to have for one another, and the compassion," Jamison said.
But Jamison said it is a little bittersweet that they won the award under the Commission of Latino Affairs because that means Latinos, in this case, were not recognizing a member of their own community. They said the award is kind of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it is good thing it exists.
“On the other hand, it just kind of points to this lack of space, and this lack of resources that are created for people of color in general," Jamison said.
Jamison was born and raised in Des Moines. As an "adorably pudgy little kid" with "very visible" autism, Jamison said growing up was not easy. They were bullied most of their young life due to rocking and not socializing in the same way other kids did. For a while, Jamison said they did not speak at all. Then, a seventh grade teacher encouraged Jamison to share their experiences with the class, and it all started to make sense for Jamison. That's when they really started realizing to make change, they have to speak out.
"I knew that I wanted to change things. I didn't know how I was going to do it, I just knew that I wanted to make it so that no other kids would have to go through what I went through," Jamison said. "And that was something that I promised myself. And I promised myself that I wouldn't forget what it was like to be a kid."
Jamison went on to Des Moines Area Community College, Iowa State University and later graduated from the University of Denver with a master’s degree in higher education, with a focus on diversity. They have been involved in leadership for underrepresented communities since high school. They said their passions are education and grassroots collaboration. So, according to Jamison, being recognized for advocating for the queer community during a Latino ceremony is an example of a coalition of sorts.
“Coalition building and networking and getting people together and thinking about ways in which they can collaborate and ways in which they can support one another, that is one of my biggest things, period," Jamison said.
That is exactly what Lorena Gingerich thought about while working in her role as a member of the Latino Hall of Fame nomination committee. She has participated in the Latino Hall of Fame since its inception about four years ago. She liked the idea of being as inclusive as possible and recognizing amazing things people are doing, no matter their ethnicity or race. Gingerich said it was the nomination committee as a whole that decided to include an LGBTQ award.
“We need to make sure that we identify someone within that group, so that we can honor them.’ And you know, it's a great call out for us. Because we're able to include people that have done a significant thing for the state and, for that group," Gingerich said.
Gingerich said in her research to start the Iowa Latino Hall of Fame, she didn't find an example of other states doing the exact same thing, so Iowa's committee has lots of freedom in making the ceremony as creative as they want it to be.
She said there is room for everyone, and that recognition for community involvement is not a zero-sum game. Gingerich said it's really hard to choose a limited number of people for awards, but fortunately, if a nominee is not chosen the year they are nominated, their name stays in the running for following years.
"I think there's enough space for everybody," Gingerich said.
Along with Jamison, another person who is not Latino was honored at the Latino Hall of Fame. Henny Ohr, originally from South Korea, was recognized for her work with The Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center (EMBARC). Ohr received the Robert D. Ray Award for Equity and Justice for minimizing language barriers in the state for Spanish-speakers and other non-English speakers.
Jamison said their mother has the Iowa LGBTQIA Leadership Award on display in their home along with their master's diploma.
