Rep. Maxine Waters, the first woman and African American to chair the House Financial Services Committee, sits down with  In Focus: SoCal host Tanya McRae for a Women's History Month special exploring the congresswoman's life and 45 years of public service.

Waters reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses the committee's different roles and responsibilities surrounding the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that President Joe Biden signed earlier this month. 

As the longest-serving Black woman in the House, she has worked on several presidential campaigns, including Jesse Jackson's in the 1980s. 

But it wasn't until 2009 that she saw the first Black man become president of the U.S. when voters elected Barack Obama.

"It took a long time for me to believe it could actually happen," Waters said. "And of course, when it did happen, I thought to myself, you know, change is in the air. And I just thought that you know, something significant had happened in this country with the election of a Black man."

Waters also talks about two community organizations she helped found, the Black Women's Forum and Community Build, which are still helping communities today.

"I hope I'll be remembered as someone who fought, who fought for young people, who fought for people of color, who worked hard to ensure justice and equality for everybody."

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