Maxine Waters Hillary Clinton

Screengrab via MSNBC/Twitter Screengrab via CNN/YouTube

Maxine Waters and Hillary Clinton have words for Bill O’Reilly and his ‘everyday sexism’

'I am a strong black woman and I will not be intimidated,' the congresswoman declared.

 

Jessica Machado

IRL

Posted on Mar 29, 2017   Updated on May 24, 2021, 7:15 pm CDT

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.

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/Divinelylogical/status/846856860636450816

https://twitter.com/docholly/status/846814649651671040

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.

 

Share this article
*First Published: Mar 29, 2017, 10:53 am CDT