On Tuesday, Jan. 29, Rep. Maxine Waters hosted her second annual State of the Union Millennial Media Row. At the event, Blavity spoke with Auntie Maxine about her thoughts on the State of the Black Union, and what we can expect in 2019.
"Blacks continue to work very hard to have a decent quality of life," Waters, who has represented California in the House since 1991, told Blavity Politics.
Waters expressed that she believes Black folks are collectively disappointed, as the current administration seems determined to set us back.
"We feel that many of the gains that we have made are being undermined," she said, which could refer to a number of divisive issues pioneered by the Trump administration: Its attempts to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, its success in separating immigrant children from their families, its recent plan to take civil rights away from students of color and so on.
A bold and outspoken opposer of Trump and his administration, Waters talked about the ways in which Trump has incited multiple acts of violence among his supporters across the nation, particularly out of fear that Black people "are somehow doing better than they are doing," or "taking their jobs." Water also discussed the inherent resiliency of Black people, despite a president who has continuously attempted to subvert and sabotage any progress we've made as a people.
"But we continue to have hope. We continue to work hard. And we continue to believe that we deserve to have a decent quality of life," Waters told Blavity Politics. "We're going to fight for our rights."
Never one to hold her tongue in regards to her opinions on Trump and the impact of his presidency on communities of color, Waters bluntly disclosed her thoughts on what she thinks needs to occur in order to hold this administration accountable for their blatant exhibition of impropriety and negligence.
"I think he deserves to be impeached. I think the American people need to have louder voices in saying that this is unacceptable, and help drive this membership here in the Congress of the United States toward impeachment," she said.
During Rep. Water’s event, Democratic representatives discussed the issues that matter most to people of color in their respective districts and their legislative plans to address these issues, all of which seemed to have a recurring theme. Folks want affordable healthcare and common-sense gun laws. People want immigrants to feel safe in this country and are opposed to the building of a wall, contrary to what 45 believes.
We’re not going to stand for what’s wrong, and we will continue to fight for what’s right.
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