Congresswoman and civil rights activist Maxine Waters has been one the most consistently vocal opposers to the Trump presidency within the political sphere and this weekend, she brought her message to the 2017 Women’s Convention.
A 3-day event that took place at Detroit’s Cabo Center and a carried a theme of “Reclaiming Our Time,” Waters was the perfect keynote speaker to address the predominantly-female crowd of over 4,000 attendees. While her speech touched on several topics that have remained at the forefront in the fight for women’s rights, it was the uninhibited truths that she spoke about Trump’s disappointing actions as president thus far that ignited the audience.
“Donald Trump is the most dishonorable and despicable human being to ever serve in the office of the president,” she said, as the crowd cheered in response and rose to their feet. Later adding, “This is a man with no good values, no good intentions and no good respect. That’s why I know we must keep fighting, and that women must lead this resistance. We cannot afford to be shut down or shut up by any man, particularly not one as indecent and deplorable as Donald Trump.”
While resistance to Trump’s presidency was one a handful of recurring talking points throughout the weekend, organizers of the event repeatedly made it clear that it was not the only driving force behind the gathering. Another central focus of the conversations and speeches was the ongoing fight against the normalization of rape culture and sexual harassment within today’s society.
“Today we declare that we will not tolerate, ignore or be a part of a culture that turns a blind eye to sexual harassment,” Waters said. “We don’t care who you are, how much money you have, how powerful you are….Keep your hands off our backs and our goddamn bodies!”
See a clip from Congresswoman Waters’ speech HERE.