Fox News host Bill O’Reilly is not known for his tact or sensitivity, or for being particularly kind to women or people of color. But when he said he couldn’t be bothered to “hear a word” Rep. Maxine Waters of California said Monday, because he “was looking at [her] James Brown wig,” the internet was not having it. And neither was Waters.
On Monday night, the always straightforward congresswoman went on MSNBC’s All in With Chris Hayes and declared, “I am a strong black woman and cannot be intimidated.” O’Reilly also apologized for his remark—a rarity for a man who regularly rails against political correctness.
.@MaxineWaters on Bill O’Reilly comments: “I am a strong black woman and I cannot be intimidated” #inners https://t.co/B1vRE4nelt
— All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) March 29, 2017
In her Professional Women’s Conference speech on Monday, Hillary Clinton also stood up for Waters, saying she was “taunted” and a victim of “everyday sexism.” Clinton also invoked the name of April Ryan, the longtime White House correspondent who was told by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Monday to “stop shaking” her head during a press conference when she was trying to ask a question.
“Too many women, especially women of color, have a had a lifetime of practice of taking precisely these kinds of indignities in stride,” said Clinton. “But why should we have to?”
Meanwhile, the hashtag #BlackWomenAtWork erupted on Twitter to call out the everyday discrimination black women face on the job.
https://twitter.com/lanitamargarita/status/847073392440332288
https://twitter.com/EricaJoy/status/846862119790243840
https://twitter.com/Divinelylogical/status/846856860636450816
There was the time I ran into a judge in court in downtown LA and he assumed I was a defendant and not a lawyer. #BlackWomenAtWork
— Imani Gandy (Orca’s Version) ⚓️ (@AngryBlackLady) March 28, 2017
Pulling into my own reserved parking space and being told by a random WW that cleaning people can’t park there. #BlackWomenAtWork
— Gina Prince-Bythewood (@GPBmadeit) March 28, 2017
https://twitter.com/docholly/status/846814649651671040
every single time I straighten my hair a white woman has to tell me she really likes my hair in “this style” #BlackWomenAtWork
— East Baltimore Barbie 💜 (@foxybrowneyez) March 28, 2017
https://twitter.com/wydaubri/status/846811535980793856
If O’Reilly was looking for a fight, then he came to the right place because Twitter and Maxine Waters don’t play—her blunt contempt for bigotry is what makes her one of the most beloved people in Congress.
Rep. Waters on Trump: “I don’t honor him. I don’t respect him, and I don’t want to be involved with him.” https://t.co/WRLNsw71Jt
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 17, 2017
