come for auntie maxine and she’ll come for you

“I have the gavel and I’m not afraid to use it”

This past weekend, Rep. Maxine Waters was honored with the Chairman’s award at the 2019 NAACP Image Awards and she came to collect. In her dynamic speech Ms. Waters fearlessly addressed her “haters” (widely known as “ultra right-wing white supremacists”), a group that so diligently spends their time hurling death threat after death threat at Waters, her family and her staff. The California congresswoman’s retort was crystal clear and earned her a standing ovation from the crowd: “I’ve gotten four of them convicted. If you come for me, I’m coming for you.”

Though an incredible moment, it’s impossible to choose the most powerful part of Waters’s speech. She went on to remind us that she has not forgotten about 45 saying, “I still think he needs to be impeached.” And because no one was safe, she also came for the entirety of systemic oppression in America because the time for women and people of color being overlooked is over. In Auntie’s exact words, “the jig is up.” Of course she brought the receipts to show how she is encouraging this change, mentioning her help in creating the “first subcommittee on diversity and inclusion in the history of the U.S. conference.” Solidifying this speech as one for the books, Ms. Waters recognized millennials by kindly accepting her royal status as “Auntie Maxine,” a name given to her by young people worldwide. Like the intergenerational legend she is, she thanked millennials for their “growing influence and passion.”

“I have the honor of being adopted by millennials as their Auntie Maxine,” Waters said. “And I’m so proud of their growing influence and presentation. It’s a growing day in America. Women, people of color, LGBTQ Americans and millennials have growing power and my committee is a testament to it.”

Well Auntie Maxine, the honor is mutual. We’re lucky to have you and will continue to make you proud.