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Maxine Waters (born , in the Vermont Square district approximately six miles south of Downtown . Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri , Waters attended Los Angeles State College (now California State University, Los Angeles ). Prior to her entry into politics, she was a teacher and a volunteer coordinator in the Head Start program. Waters entered the California State Assembly in 1976. Upon the retirement of Augustus F. Hawkins in 1990, Waters was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the 29th Congressional District. (The district was renumbered the 35th District in 1992 after California gained 7 additional seats in the House after the 1990 U.S. Census .) Prior to the election of "superstar" Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois), Waters was considered the United States' most prominent African-American legislator. She is considered by some to be an outspoken champion for the underprivileged and underrepresented. Her left-wing rhetoric makes her a favorite for reporters, as well as a frequent target for the wrath of right-wing pundits. As a first-term representative, she gained fame by walking into the Oval Office and telling then-President George H.W. Bush , "Your time is up." Waters co-chaired the 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton . In addition to her service on the House Banking and Judiciary committees, Waters has served as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (of which she remains a member). She is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus . Her husband, Sidney Williams , is a former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas . Corruption allegations Waters has long been considered one of the last great practitioners of urban "'' into non-competitive awards of federal contracts to businesses owned by or connected to members of Waters' family. Assata Shakur Waters has been accused of aiding convicted murderer Assata Shakur to remain in Cuba , where she is receiving political asylum. In 1998, the United States House Of Representatives passed a unanimous resolution that urged Cuban President Fidel Castro to return Shakur to the United States. The document used Shakur’s birth name, Joanne Chesimard. Waters voted in favor of the measure, but when she later realized that Assata Shakur and Joanne Chesimard were the same person, she wrote her own letter to Castro. Waters’ letter explained that she had been tricked by House Republicans into supporting the measure and further stated that Shakur had been “persecuted as a result of her political beliefs and political affiliations,” and that she supported “the right of all nations to grant political asylum to individuals fleeing political persecution.” Expectedly, Waters came under attack for casting her vote without understanding the issue for which she was voting. Shakur remains free in Cuba. Quotes
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