Rep. Maxine Waters, who many people affectionately name “Aunt Maxine”, is celebrating birthday # 83

Congressman Maxine Waters.

I will never forget the time in 2018 when California Democratic MP Maxine Waters said, “If you shoot me, you better shoot right now” after receiving repeated death threats from the Trump Klan – threats that will continue in 2021. Regardless of the danger to herself, she continues to serve her district and the nation, celebrating her 83rd birthday on Sunday.

Happy birthday, Aunt Maxine!

A little background for those of you unfamiliar with her story: She was born Maxine Carr on August 15, 1938 in St. Louis, Missouri, where she was the fifth of 13 children raised by a single mother became. She started working in factories and restaurants at the age of 13. When she moved to Los Angeles, she worked in a clothing factory and then got a job with a telephone company. She attended California State University in Los Angeles and earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology. She ran for state office in 1976 and was elected to the California State Assembly, where she served until 1990.

This year is also her 30th year in Congress. In 1991, after being elected to the House of Representatives for the first time, she co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus Ron Dellums, Lane Evans, Thomas Andrews, Peter DeFazio, and Bernie Sanders. She is also the longest-serving person in the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), alongside non-voting Eleanor Holmes Norton from Washington, DC.