The theme for this year’s annual BPC banquet is fittingly titled Reclaiming My Time, a mantra made famous in recent days by the keynote speaker, Rep. Maxine Waters.
Tickets are on sale at Eventbrite or can be purchased Tuesday from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at CN Jenkins Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1421 Statesville Ave. Prices range from $130 – $10,000. (details below)
The Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg wanted a woman speaker for this year’s banquet, and Rep. Waters was on the top of the list even before she became an Internet sensation, BPC Chair Colette Forrest said Tuesday.
The BPC is backing Democratic candidate Vi Lyles in Charlotte’s mayoral race and wants to energize female voters leading into the primary elections, Forrest said. “We were very intentional in going after a woman speaker and we have been blessed by God to be able to have Auntie Maxine.”
The congresswoman from Los Angeles has become a lightning rod for resistance to the politics of Trump. She has always been outspoken, even criticizing President Obama in 2011 for neglecting black communities, but her refusal to attend President Trump’s inauguration raised her national profile.
“I’m so offended by this president that I think it requires me to speak truth to power, to say it like it is and to be as honest as I possibly can about what I think about him being the president of this country,” Waters told Washington Post writer Jonathan Capehart.
First elected to Congress in 1990, Waters is a former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus and the longest-serving African-American woman in Congress. The moniker “Auntie Maxine” stuck when R. Eric Thomas wrote a piece titled “Congresswoman Maxine Waters will read you now” just days before the inauguration in which he likened Waters to “that auntie who got rich selling Avon and doesn’t really like your father.”
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Internet memes and the hashtag, #auntiemaxine, spread across the Twitterverse and on Facebook. The 78-year-old Waters quickly became the face of resistance to Trump and has since become a much sought-after speaker and media interview.
Banquet details:
The theme, Reclaiming My Time, will highlight the journey of the BPC in its mission to promote and enhance the power and welfare of the Black community through advocacy and education and being a consistent voice in matters of education, economics, cultural, social, civic welfare, and political activity within Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
When: Sept. 2, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Where: Sheraton Charlotte LeMeridien Complex, 555 S. McDowell St.
Cost: $130-$10,000. No refunds.
Buy tickets
More stories about Rep. Waters:
‘Reclaiming my time’ is bigger than Maxine Waters
How Maxine Waters became ‘Auntie Maxine’ in the age of Trump
‘Auntie Maxine’ Waters Goes After Trump and Goes Viral
Maxine Waters’ ‘Reclaiming My Time’ Moment Inspires A Gospel Song
