The news coming out of Tallahassee is quickly reminding people why Florida A&M University is an annual, if not automatic, entry in any top HBCU debate. The school has secured Congresswoman Maxine Waters as the keynote speaker at Florida A&M University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation on January 13, 2012.
Here’s more on Maxine Waters:
Currently, Waters is a senior member of the House Committee on Financial Services, serving as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises. She also serves on the subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity, and the subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
In addition, Waters serves on the House Committee on the Judiciary, where she sits on the Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet Subcommittee, and the Immigration Policy and Enforcement Subcommittee. An integral member of Congressional Democratic Leadership, Waters serves as a chief deputy whip and as a member of the Steering and Policy Committee.
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 the poor. Elected in November 2010 to her 11th term in the House of Representatives with almost 80 percent of the vote in the 35th District of California, Waters represents a large part of South Central Los Angeles, the communities of Westchester and Playa Del Rey, and the diverse cities of Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood and Lawndale — all in California.
Waters’ background also includes co-founder of the nonprofit organization Black Women’s Forum, a key member of Bill Clinton’s presidential campaigns, and spearheaded the development of the Minority AIDS Initiative in 1998 to address the alarming spread of HIV/AIDS among African Americans, Hispanics and other minorities. Waters is a strong, educated black woman who has chosen to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. with the Rattlers of FAMU. Her impressive track record of accomplishments and advocacy makes her the perfect fit to speak at Florida A&M University.
