Maxine Waters: The Internet’s Political Auntie
For my final project, I analyzed the political trajectory of Representative Maxine Waters.
Maxine Moore Waters is an American Democratic politician, serving in the U.S House of Representatives for California’s 43rd congressional district. She is currently serving her 15th term in the House, having served since 1991. She is also a member and former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and the first black person and woman to chair the House Financial Services Committee. Before becoming a U.S Representative, Waters served in the California State Assembly, to which she was elected in 1976.
Maxine Waters is known for her unapologetic, no-nonsense approach to politics and social justice. She is tenacious, passionate and has lived through a unique set of experiences that have shaped her into a dynamic black woman political icon. I specifically chose to profile her, because she is an animated and authentic black woman who has left a legacy of impact in the United States spanning over forty years. She is among the very few black woman political figures I saw in the news growing up and I admire her for being a fighter against racism, xenophobia and misogyny.
I wanted to get a more in-depth understanding of how she has grown as a leader, because this growth and ability to navigate political spaces so fearlessly and strategically comes with a level of confidence and certainty that clearly accumulated over time. Through her intersectional experiences of racism, classism and misogyny, Maxine Waters offers a necessary (and often intimidating, according to some people) perspective in U.S politics. Looking at many of our newly elected freshman representative women of color, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib and as more women of color join politics in the future, I think Maxine Waters can be looked to as a role model.
From this project, I learned that occupying political spaces as a black woman is tiring. The process is imperfect. It is challenging. It is frustrating. But, ultimately, the drive that keeps the ball rolling is a determination to dismantle existing power structures and make the lives of marginalized communities better.
Works Cited
“About Maxine.” Congresswoman Maxine Waters. U.S House of Representatives , June 13, 2019. https://waters.house.gov/about-maxine.
[32:23] Avila, Theresa. “Maxine Waters Is Unfazed by Bill O’Reilly’s Offensive Comments About Her Hair.” The Cut. March 29, 2017. https://www.thecut.com/2017/03/maxine-waters-says-she-is-a-strong-black-woman.html.
[31:25] Estepa, Jessica. “Rep. Maxine Waters Claps Back at Bill O’Reilly after Hair Insult,” USA Today. March 29, 2017. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/03/28/bill-oreilly-rep-maxine-waters-wearing-james-brown-wig/99742572/.
[26:44] Florida National News. “VIDEO: Congresswoman Maxine Waters ‘Reclaiming My Time!’, “Reclaiming My Time!” YouTube video, 2:10. August 1, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2_7XDxCVOQ
[28:05] MSNBC. “Maxine Vs. Mnuchin Rematch Was Worth The Wait” Youtube video, 3:39. April 10, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOamMNViofA
[30:22] Papenfuss, Mary. “Maxine Waters Responds To Death Threats: ‘You’d Better Shoot Straight’,” Huffington Post. July 1, 2018. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/maxine-waters-if-you-shoot-at-me-shoot-straight_n_5b37fc3be4b08c3a8f6b01b9.
[25:14] Rosenberg, Scott. “As Zuckerberg Hearing Opens, Maxine Waters Lays into Facebook,” Axios. October 23, 2019. https://www.axios.com/as-zuckerberg-hearing-opens-maxine-waters-lays-into-facebook-86007b17-81bc-4290-9dae-53bd36f3dbec.html.
[33:25] Ruiz, Joe. “Trump Again Questions Rep. Waters’ Intelligence, Says She’s ‘Very Low IQ’.” CNN. Cable News Network, March 11, 2018. https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/10/politics/trump-waters-low-iq-individual/index.html.
[0:38] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 6, Maxine Waters remembers her childhood home, Kinloch, Missouri
[2:18] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 7, Maxine Waters remembers the St. Louis, Missouri of her childhood
[5:30] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 4, Maxine Waters describes her father’s background
[6:06] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 3, Maxine Waters describes her mother’s background
[6:56] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 11, Maxine Waters discusses her childhood responsibilities
[7:53] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 2, story 1, Maxine Waters discusses her beginnings in St. Louis, Missouri
[8:37] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 12, Maxine Waters describes her supportive teachers from her early schooling
[10:21] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 14, Maxine Waters describes the black community of St. Louis, Missouri
[11:46] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 10, Maxine Waters describes her childhood personality
[13:23] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 4, Maxine Waters explains her motivation for seeking a public office
[15:04, 21:52] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 10, Maxine Waters talks about her experience in the California legislature
[15:30] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 11, Maxine Waters discusses her transition from state to federal legislature
[16:58] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 7, Maxine Waters describes the women’s rights movement of the 1970s
[18:43] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 8, Maxine Waters conveys the difficulties black women faced in securing their reproductive health
[23:14] The Honorable Maxine Waters (The HistoryMakers A2001.076), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 29, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 5, story 2, Maxine Waters discusses the achievements of the Congressional Black Caucus
Background Music
Blue Dot, “Slow Rollout” retrieved from The Free Music Archive.