For Immediate Release: 
December 9, 2025

[email protected] 

Congresswoman Maxine Waters Receives Highest Honor 

From National Council of Negro Women

Washington, DC – On December 6, 2025, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, received the Uncommon Height Crystal Stair Award at the 90th Annual National Council of Negro Women's gala, in Washington, DC. This award is the highest honor given by the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). 

Upon receiving the Uncommon Height Crystal Stair Award, Congresswoman Waters issued the following remarks:

“I am deeply humbled and profoundly honored to accept the 2025 Uncommon Height Crystal Stair Award, named after my dear friend, Dr. Dorothy Irene Height.  In 1958, Dr. Height became the president of NCNW and guided the organization for forty-two years, through the height of the Civil Rights Movement and beyond. While often one of the only women in the room, Dr. Height was considered a member of the “Big Six” leaders of the civil rights movement. And under her leadership, NCNW did more than march, it built institutions. It created programs, policies, and platforms. 

“Dr. Height, who believed deeply in strengthening Black families, launched The National Black Family Reunion, a celebration that reaffirmed our shared values and heritage. I remember fondly when she and I first organized the Black Family Reunion in Los Angeles. In those moments, we were reminded that our struggle is not our own, but it’s for children, mothers, grandparents, and our communities. Throughout her lifetime, Dr. Height met with every President from Roosevelt to Obama. And as I stand here this evening, I wonder what she would think about the current administration. 

“We are living under the rule of a cruel, deplorable, wannabe dictator of a president in the Oval Office. Trump’s attacks on DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion), Black History, Reproductive Freedoms, Healthcare, Education, Voting Rights, and Housing are attacks against the Black family. But these are the same battles Dr. Height taught us how to fight. I consider what Dr. Height would do if she were here today. She would not wait; she would act! She would organize; she would lead. 

“And know this: as long as I have a voice, as long as I have a vote, as long as I have a platform, I will continue to march, I will continue to build, I will continue to fight. Because when we fight, we win!!”

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