Though it rained heavily on the evening of Feb. 24, students, faculty,community supporters and members of Louisiana’s state legislature came to theRoyal Cotillion Ballroom in the Smith-Brown Memorial Union to hear UnitedStates Congresswoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., as part of the SouthernUniversity Motivational Speakers Series.
Louisiana State Rep. AvonHoney, D-Baton Rouge, said that Waters’ presence on campus spoke volumes for thespeaker series, but he was disappointed by a lack of student attendance.
”I think that this is agreat thing at Southern. Besides, her husband is a Jaguar, so it’s a plus forSouthern,” he said. “The only thing is that more students should have taken part.They are doing themselves an injustice when they don’t show up to things likethis. It’s not everyday someone like Maxine Waters graces us with herpresence.”
Waters was elected in November 2002 to her seventh term in the U.S.House of Representatives with a 77.6 percent of the votes in the 35th Districtof California. She represents a large constituency of South Central LosAngeles, the Westchester community and other surrounding L.A. communities.
Sidney Williams, her husband, graduated from Southern’s New Orleans’campus. He went on to play professional football for the Cleveland Browns andthe Washington Redskins. In 1993, he became the only professional footballplayer to become national ambassador when he was selected by President BillClinton to become the U.S. Ambassador to the Commonwealth of Bahamas.
A highly visible national Democratic Party leader, Waters has served onthe Democratic National Committee since 1980.
After the 2000 national presidential election fiasco, she became chairof the Democratic Caucus Special Committee on Election Reform. Waters said in astatement after the election that she could never have imagined that judges,rather than voters would decide the results of the presidential election.
“How will you help the advancement of your people? I am sick and tiredof begging African Americans to vote,” she said. “But I am not tired of talkingabout it. African American’s votes are far more important than anything I couldtalk about tonight.”
In addition to voting issues she challenged young people to be smarter,more determined and committed to making the country better.
“By now, you don’t need me to tell you about people you already know,”Waters said. “I’ve decided to talk about something different…Who are you?What will you do with your education? Think about the future. How are you goingto step out of the box?”
