Long before U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters of California became known as Auntie Maxine and Queen Maxine was turned into a meme for situations where the strongest form of shade is necessary, she was a girl from St. Louis who knew she wanted to make a difference in her community.
And what a difference she’s made.
Waters has seen it all and done it all, from working in segregated restaurants and factories as a teenager to working as a teacher and volunteer coordinator. In the 1980s, Waters co-founded the Black Women’s Forum and Project Build to help young people in Los Angeles housing developments on job training and placement. Waters continues to serve as a member of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Financial Services, Congressional Democratic Leadership and Steering & Policy Committee, Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus.
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Her realness has won the hearts of millennials across the nation. Below are eight top quotes we’ve been gifted with from the 79-year-old congresswoman in recent months.
Happy birthday, Auntie Maxine. Reclaim your time.
“I have to get up every morning believing that I and others can make [the future] better, and that no matter how difficult it is, that we will rise to the occasion to force this country to be the democracy it claims to be.”
“Reclaiming my time. What he failed to tell you was when you’re on my time, I can reclaim it.”
“I went to a Drake concert. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. I was at the BET Awards with Chance the Rapper. And all these people get up and scream and holler. I keep wondering, ‘Where did all these people come from? Why can’t they come into politics?’ ”
“Your time has to be divided between relaxation and fun and the work that you think can make a difference in people’s lives.”
“Let me just say that I have been adopted by the millennials in this country. I am honored. I am so pleased to see the involvement and the engagement of all of these millennials, and they have helped to teach me a new language. We’re talking about shade, we’re talking about receipts, we’re talking about serving a little tea and, of course, it’s all about staying woke.”
“I am not running [for the presidency]. That’s simply a rumor, everybody. I am not running for anything except the impeachment of Trump.”
“As an African-American woman who has been involved in the struggle, you know [hate] is coming, you know who they are, and you know not to let it devastate you. You build the strength to fight back, to push back and let it just go over your shoulders. Every day I wake up, I wake up energized.”
“I am a strong black woman. I cannot be intimidated, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Maya Jones is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a native New Orleanian who enjoys long walks down Frenchmen Street and romantic dates to Saints games.
