Cllr Anna Baxter remembers Jo Cox on anniversary of murder

I was 13 years old at the time.

I remember the shock as the news came through.

Even then, I knew something was deeply wrong.

A woman had been killed while carrying out her duties as an MP.

It felt impossible to understand.

Look, I never met Jo.

But I, and so many others, feel her legacy every day – and especially now, ten years on from her death.

Ten years later, I still find myself thinking about what she stood for.

That’s one of the reasons it meant so much to take part in the Jo Cox Women in Leadership programme.

The programme brings together women who want to make a difference in their communities, helping them build confidence and learn from one another.

One thing I took away from it was the importance of women backing women.

Sometimes that’s sharing advice, sometimes it’s opening a door, and sometimes it’s simply reminding someone that they’re capable of more than they think.

That spirit of supporting one another felt very true to Jo’s legacy.

I think about that a lot these days.

If we’re honest, it can feel like we’re living in angry times.

Cllr Anna Baxter (Image: Supplied)

You switch on the news, open your phone, and it can seem as though everyone is being pushed into opposing sides.

Of course, people should challenge politicians and hold those in power to account.

That’s healthy. That’s democracy. But there is a line.

Abuse isn’t debate. Intimidation isn’t accountability. Violence is never the answer.

What keeps me hopeful is that, away from the headlines, most people aren’t living like that.

Certainly not here in Yorkshire.

We’re known for being honest, straight-talking and sometimes a bit stubborn.

We don’t always agree with each other, and that’s fine.

But when somebody needs help, people tend to muck in.

You see it in community centres, village halls, sports clubs, food banks and community groups.

You see it in neighbours checking in on one another and volunteers giving up their time because they care.

That’s the Yorkshire I know.

Ten years after Jo Cox’s murder, I don’t think we have any grand answers to the problems facing the world.

I just think we’d all be better off if we spent a little less time assuming the worst of each other.

Disagree by all means.

Argue your corner.

Stand up for what you believe in.

But remember there’s another human being on the other side of that conversation.

Ten years ago, even as a 13-year-old, I knew what happened wasn’t normal.

Ten years on, I still feel that way.

Today is first and foremost a day to remember Jo, and to think of the family, friends and colleagues who lost someone they loved.

And when I look around Yorkshire, at the people who quietly support one another day in, day out, I still believe her message matters.

At a time when it can feel easier to retreat into our own corners, we need to keep finding ways to support one another, listen to one another and pull together as communities.

As Jo Cox said: “We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.”