Congresswoman Maxine Waters is considered by many to be one of the most powerful women in American politics today.  She has gained a reputation as a fearless and outspoken advocate for women, children, people of color and poor people.

Elected in November 1998 to her fifth term in the House of Representatives with an overwhelming 89 percent of the votes in the 35th District of California, Congresswoman Maxine Waters represents a large part of South Central Los Angeles and the diverse cities of Gardena, Hawthorne and Inglewood.

In 1997-98, Rep. Waters served a two-year term as the Chair of the 39-member Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). She formulated the comprehensive Agenda for Black America–an agenda for justice, equality and fairness–which outlined CBC’s legislative and programmatic priorities.  Those initiatives included a commitment to drug-free, safe and healthy communities; educational and technological opportunities; and job creation and economic development. The priorities also encompassed voting and civil rights; environmental justice; the protection of the most vulnerable Americans; and the promotion of opportunities for all Americans.

For the 106th Congress, Rep. Waters has been  appointed to the influential leadership position of Chief Deputy Whip of the Democratic Party. She continues to be a member of the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services and the Ranking Member of the Domestic and International Monetary Policy Subcommittee. She is also on banking subcommittees on General Oversight and Investigations and on Housing and Community Oportunity.

Rep. Waters also continues to serve on the Committee on the Judiciary and its Subcommittee on the Constitution. During the House impeachment proceedings, Congresswoman Waters was an outspoken advocate for fairness. She criticized Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr’s ruthless investigative methods and condemned the House Republicans’ unfair and partisan tactics in both the Judiciary Committee and on the House floor.

On the Cutting Edge
On a whole range of issues–economic development and police brutality, the “war on drugs” and veterans’ concerns, women’s rights and children’s well being–Congresswoman Waters is found on the cutting edge.

Following the civil unrest in Los Angeles in April 1992, Congresswoman Waters faced the nation’s media and the public to interpret the hopelessness and despair in cities across America. Highlighted on ABC-TV World News Tonight as a “person of the week” for her part in the debate about the unrest, she was described by Peter Jennings as “a woman who simply will not go unheard.”

To focus attention on the plight of inner city communities, she has hosted many government officials and policy makers in her district, including President Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and Secretaries of Housing & Urban Development Henry Cisneros and Andrew Cuomo. In January 1998, she led Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve System, and other federal regulators on a walking tour of the Vermont-Manchester area of South Central Los Angeles to discuss the need for community reinvestment.

In the past three years, she brought national spotlight to the allegations of CIA involvement in the Contra cocaine drug trafficking in South Central Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. She has conducted town hall meetings from coast to coast to discuss the devastation of drugs in cities and towns across America.

Experienced and Accomplished Lawmaker
Prior to her election to the House of Representatives in 1990, Congresswoman Waters had already attracted national attention for her no-nonsense, no-holds-barred style of politics. During 14 years in the California State Assembly, she rose to the powerful position of Democratic Caucus Chair.  Early in her Assembly career, she worked with others on the strategy that made Willie Brown, Jr., the Speaker of the Assembly.

She was responsible for some of the boldest legislation California has ever seen. Among her legislative accomplishments were: the largest divestment of state pension funds from businesses involved in South Africa; landmark affirmative action legislation opening up state procurement and contracting opportunities to women and minority-owned businesses; and the introduction of the nation’s first plant closure law.

She also created the nation’s first statewide Child Abuse Prevention Training Program, gained passage of a law to prohibit police strip searches for nonviolent misdemeanors, and promoted legislation to prevent toxic chemical catastrophes.

National Democratic Party Leader
Congresswoman Waters has long been highly visible in Democratic Party politics and has served on the Democratic National Committee since 1980. She was a key leader in five presidential campaigns and seconded the nominations of Sen. Edward Kennedy  (1980), Rev. Jesse Jackson (1984 & 1988), and President Bill Clinton (1992).

Shaping Public Policy and Delivering the Goods
She has used her skill to win approval and funding for a number of important initiatives, and has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments during her service in Congress:

• The Emergency Development Loan Guarantee Program authorized $10 billion in Section 108 loan guarantees to cities for economic and infrastructure development, housing and small business expansion.

• In 1993, the President signed into law a $50 million appropriation for Rep. Waters’ “Youth Fair Chance” program which established an intensive job and life skills training program for unskilled, unemployed youth. The Los Angeles Youth Fair Chance Plus program accepted over 1,500 young people for training and counseling.

• Rep. Waters’ Community Development Bank Bill (HR 1699) was the most comprehensive such bill introduced in Congress. The President’s initiative, which authorized $360 million over four years in lending in under-served areas, was partially based on Rep. Waters’ legislation.

• Rep. Waters won provisions to give women and minority-owned firms preference in acquiring failed financial institutions in under-served areas and won assurances of significant participation by such firms in Resolution Trust Corporation businesses.

• Rep. Waters also won expanded U.S. debt relief for Africa and other developing nations.

• Rep. Waters won passage of legislation creating a “Center for Women Veterans” within the Department of Veterans Affairs to coordinate programs and to help implement polities affecting the growing number of women veterans.

Community Organizer and Grassroots Activist
Congresswoman Waters’ strong legislative background and high visibility in Democratic Party activities are coupled with an unusual ability to do grassroots organizing.   She is a co-founder of Black Women’s Forum, a nonprofit organization of over 1,200 African American women in the Los Angeles area.  While in the State Assembly, she founded Project Build, working with young people in Los Angeles housing projects on job training and placement.  Following the 1992 civil unrest, she founded Community Build, the city’s grassroots rebuilding project.

Congresswoman Waters serves on the boards of directors of TransAfrica and Essence Communications.

Advocate for Human Rights
Congresswoman Waters was a leader in the movement to end Apartheid and assure one-person, one-vote democracy in South Africa, working closely with African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela. She founded the Los Angeles Free South Africa Movement and was arrested in a protest against the Apartheid regime. In 1994, she was on the official U.S. delegation to Nelson Mandela’s inauguration as President of a free South Africa, and in March 1998, she accompanied President Clinton on a visit to five African countries.

Rep. Waters also was arrested in front of the White House urging justice for Haitian refugees and the restoration of democracy in Haiti. She was a key figure in Congressional efforts to restore to power Haiti’s democratically-elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Diverse Constituency and Broad-Based Agenda
As she confronts the Republican-controlled Congress on issues such as poverty, economic development, equal justice under the law and other issues of concern to people of color, women, children, and poor people, Rep. Waters enjoys a broad cross section of support from diverse communities across the nation.

She is lauded by African American entrepreneurs for her work to expand contracting and procurement opportunities and to strengthen businesses. Long active in the women’s movement, Rep. Waters has given encouragement and financial support to women seeking public office.  Many young people, including those in the hip-hop music community, praise her for her fearless support and understanding of young people and their efforts at self-expression.  One testament to her work is the Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center, a multimillion dollar campus providing education and   employment opportunities to residents of the Watts area.

Personal History
Maxine Waters was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the fifth of 13 children reared by a single mother.  She began working at age 13 in factories and segregated restaurants.   After moving to Los Angeles, she worked in garment factories and at the telephone company.  She attended California State University at Los Angeles, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.  She began her career in public service as a teacher and a volunteer coordinator in the Head Start program.  Ms. Waters took part in many political campaigns, leafleting, and knocking on doors.  She later became the chief deputy to a Los Angeles city councilman before being elected to the California State Assembly in 1976.

She is married to Sidney Williams, the former U.S. Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.  She is the mother of two adult children, Edward and Karen, and has two grandchildren.