Barbara Ellington
Congresswoman Maxine Waters
SHE invigorated the audience with her shrewd political observations and encouraged those weary in well-doing to persevere. And at the end of the evening, no one doubted American Congresswoman Maxine Waters' ability to speak her mind.
The California Congresswoman was the guest speaker at the fund-raising dinner-cabaret hosted by the Mustard Seed Communities at the Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Friday November 10.
Congresswoman Waters, a member of the American Democratic Party, pledged to continue her work in spite of challenges because, "....I cannot walk away from public service, it has all shaped who I am and I will not give up no matter how dirty the fight in Florida gets.
It was along these lines that Flair began the interview with the congresswoman prior to her departure from the island last Sunday.
At the time, a clear winner had not emerged in the recently concluded presidential elections. She told Flair that if her party simply conceded without the hand count, the suspicion, unrest, disgust and lack of confidence would be talked about for years to come.
"I don't think that the new president can be effective on a 200 vote majority, we must follow the letter of the law," she said in responses to our question about how she thought her party would proceed.
Desperation
She said that George Bush's challenge of the system shows desperation, "Both candidates should feel that a hand count takes us closer to fairness, even though there will be talk and suspicion, people will see that something was done to remedy the situation. The American electoral system is on trial and in future the popular vote must be the vote that counts," she said.
On her return to Washington, Congresswoman Waters will participate in the Lame Duck Session to complete the work of Congress and orientation of new members.
Was it premature for Democrats and journalists to be touting Hillary Clinton as, "the new face of the democratic party" following her victory in New York?, Flair asked. Congresswoman Waters does not think so because such pronouncements are made for men. "She enjoys enormous appeal and celebrity, so I think although it's unusual, a woman could be our front-runner in the next four years," she said.
The dynamic Congresswoman has been instrumental in the passage of several important pieces of legislation and was one of the key architects of the toppling of South Africa's apartheid regime.
For her, the formation of the aeroplanes in the manoeuvres that saluted former president Nelson Mandela at his inauguration, was mind-boggling. "The same people who had implemented apartheid, were now honouring him. The struggle was a monumental accomplishment for all of us who had worked for it, I never thought it would come in my lifetime," she said.
But what of the post apartheid struggle? She is convinced that no one reasonably expected the transition to be easy, especially in areas such as housing. Ownership of wealth is still in the hands of the whites and progress is slow.
"There are no two Nelson Mandelas. Many are now watching the new president to see if he will go beyond Mandela's accomplishments and get things done. HIV/AIDS is a serious problem and Mr. Mbeki has different perceptions on it, we wait to see if he makes good decisions," she said.
Racism
Closer home, Congress-woman Waters concurred with Flair that racism is a fact of life with which there is a constant struggle in America.
"We cannot relax to the point where we think it doesn't exist in many ways - some subtle, but we must be prepared to face it and fight it, we know it's institutionalised and we have to make the future better for our children," she said.
Congresswoman Waters has had many rewarding achievements in her career and continues to lead the debates on issues affecting children, African Americans and the less fortunate.
She is buoyed by the tremendous outpouring of support. "When a total stranger says, "I'm doing the right thing, it makes me feel good."
The fifth of 13 children, the Congresswoman has paid her dues. She began working from the tender age of 13 in factories and segregated restaurants. In his introduction, Public Affairs Consular at the United States Embassy, Dr. M. Korff-Rodriques described her as, "...someone who afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted."
So how does she juggle a busy political career with being a wife, mother and grandmother? The secret to her successful 22 year marriage to Ambassador Sydney Williams is communication.
"We work hard at it, we must know what the other is doing, talk about things, accept each other's advice, help each other, make sure that when we travel we are not separated and talk about problems," she said.
Congresswoman Waters told Flair that details such as their seating at a dinner table are important. Home is in Los Angeles and she commutes from Washington to spend at least two weekends per month there. When Ambassador Williams was posted in Nassau, The Bahamas, she managed his residence, and even attended ambassador training school with him to make sure she could be as supportive as possible.
Now retired from the diplomatic service, Ambassador Williams who was his wife's tennis instructor prior to marriage, is a consultant in transportation and the development of golf courses.
Collects antiques
When their hectic schedules permit, the couple likes to exercise and play tennis. She collects antiques and has a preference for dolls. "I intend to give some of the collection away when I retire as it is important to share," she said. They also enjoy travel and along with her older grandson, will go to Ghana and Cuba in December.
On Cuba, the Congresswoman plans to continue working hard to see the American embargo lifted and thinks the decision to send Elian Gonzales home was the right one.
If Maxine Waters had the chance to do it all again, she would have trusted her thoughts earlier in life. "We often lose time because not enough is done to make us feel good about who we are. We must, therefore, support our children's self-esteem earlier. And public policy must be in place to ensure opportunities exist for their development."
