Did You Know "Maxine Shaw" Inspired Stacey Abrams, Ayanna Pressley And Marilyn Mosby?

And this is why representation matters.

Ooooh in a ’90s kinda world, we’re glad we had this girl…Maxine Shaw, attorney at law. Maxine aka Max was one of the leading ladies of the 90’s classic, “Living Single.”

She was a character who was unapologetic before it became a trending topic. She was sexually liberated before it was cool. Max—or “The Maverick”—was abrasive, hilarious, ambitious, a great friend and a career-focused woman.

Maxine Shaw was a lawyer who poured a lot of her passion into the courtroom and in the 90s, being able to watch this type of character was like a breath of fresh air.

This iconic character even inspired a few of your faves to go down a particular career path. ESSENCE caught up with Erika Alexander, who famously played Maxine Shaw and she shared the very cool news that Maxine Shaw gave us Ayanna Pressely, Marilyn Mosby and more.

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Keep it Colorful is in the ATL! A big thanks to Stacey Abrams for participating in a Fireside Chat with me this evening. We spoke about film & TV in Georgia, Stacey's background as a writer, and Stacey's campaign. We also encouraged tons of creators to submit their work into our Keep It Colorful initiative. @staceyabrams glam by @fred4face @curlupanddyejanet_ @colorfarm #KeepItColorful #ColorTheFuture #staceyabramsforgovernor @seedandspark @blackandsexytv #atlanta

A post shared by Erika Alexander (@erikaalexanderthegreat) on Jul 11, 2018 at 8:53pm PDT

“I’ve gotten messages from people like Stacey Abrams, Mayor DeBlasio, Marilyn Mosby and people like Ayanna Pressley, that they went into politics and law because of that character. So representation matters,” Alexander shared.

Check out the full video above for the details!