Rep. Maxine Waters has had me “reclaiming my time” for going on almost two years after her iconic exchange during a House Financial Services Committee hearing. Why does Auntie Maxine fill my spirit with joy? Because there is something inherently gratifying about this kind of resistance. See, in this hearing, she was questioning a male witness who decided that elaborating on his answer was more important than answering her questions. There was something about this display of privilege that was so familiar to People of Color and marginalized groups. It was the way this man, who represents the majority, decided that his words, his visibility, and his perception of being respected were all that mattered in that space. In response, Rep. Waters moved to reclaim her time. So, after being shut down once, he looked away from Rep. Waters and directed a question to the cisgendered white man whom he understood held the positional power at that moment and said, “Mister Chairman, I thought when you read the rules, you acknowledged that I shouldn’t be interrupted and would,” he paused giving way to the gentlelady from California. “What he failed to tell you was,” Rep. Waters interjected, “When you’re on my time, I can reclaim it.”
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