maxine waters reclaiming my time meme

Screengrab via Adam Joseph/Souncloud

Maxine Waters’ ‘Reclaiming my time’ is a new feminist anthem

The meme accidentally created by Rep. Maxine Waters has turned into a song

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Tiffany Kelly

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Posted on Aug 1, 2017   Updated on May 22, 2021, 9:59 pm CDT

“Reclaiming my time” is a phrase used by U.S. representatives to reclaim the floor from another member who is speaking during a meeting. And now it’s a meme that has spread to T-shirts and songs. Yes, there are songs.

If you need catching up, last week Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) asked Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin why she didn’t receive a response to a letter she sent him regarding President Trump’s connections to Russian banks. Mnuchin showered her with compliments in an attempt to delay answering the question. But Waters wanted to cut straight to the answer, and she kept repeating the phrase “reclaiming my time” to get the House Financial Services Committee meeting back on track.

People across the internet related to Waters’ low bar for people who waste time and make poorly concealed excuses. And so a new meme was born.

The phrase, unsurprisingly, turned into another feminist political slogan. It’s the new, unapologetic “Nevertheless, she persisted.” Waters’ comment also makes a great anthem. Over the weekend, at least two musicians created “reclaiming my time” songs. One is a beautiful gospel song by Mykal Kilgore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqCZzs7UXIo

The other a pool party-worthy pop mix by Adam Joseph.

And both of them are super catchy. “Reclaiming my time” fits with the ridiculous, news-filled summer of the year 2017—no matter which version you choose.

Waters responded to Kilgore’s video on Twitter and said that he was “headed for the Grammys.”

We’re guessing these songs won’t be the last Maxine Waters tributes of the year.

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*First Published: Aug 1, 2017, 4:47 pm CDT

Tiffany Kelly

Tiffany Kelly is the culture editor at Daily Dot. Previously, she worked at Ars Technica and Wired. Her writing has appeared in several other print and online publications, including the Los Angeles Times, Popular Mechanics, and GQ.

Tiffany Kelly