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Maxine Anderson (Member Profile)
When did you become a Leaguer?
My involvement began in 2003-2004 when I was involved in a presidential campaign, and as a result learned about a League event. At the event, I signed in, was recruited to present Pro/Con discussions and as a result joined the League!
What does the idea of strength mean to you?
Strength to me means that even in the face of sometimes what appears to be overwhelming odds against the positions we take, we keep pushing forward. We may be disappointed, but we must never give up.
How do you harness your strength to take action?
There was a time in 2020 where the experiences around the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and everything else during this time was sucking everything out of me. There are times where I feel I need to walk away and give up, and then something, a song or speech, will pop up for me and it will hit me just the right way. Maybe it is the spirit of my ancestors or divine intelligence, and they tell me “nah, don’t give up you can do this.” I’ll sit with myself for a while and then I can get up and keep going. I used to try to walk away from opportunities to serve that have been offered, and now I accept that opportunities will arise and I’ve decided I will serve, speak up and persevere. Amazingly, for some reason I thought when I got older, things would be nice and calm, but that’s definitely not been the case!
What are you most proud of doing?
I speak about policy to my relatives and friends and even strangers constantly. I remind them that politicians come and go, but policies will linger with us for years. When my friends and family come back to me, and tell me they spoke up and spoke out about a policy, or, when a stranger says “I never thought of things in that way”, I am very proud. I learned this from the League. I used to vote for politicians, and not take policy into account. I knew there was a system but I did not know how to effect it, now I do, and I make sure others know this as well.
What did you dream of doing when you were young?
Going around the world. I went to college wanting to study history and be a teacher, so I initially went into education. I ended up dropping the education piece and just studied history. Education always was important to me though, and now, I teach in different ways. That is the duty of every human being, to make a positive impact. Specificity makes a lot of difference. Be specific about what you want!
Who are your role models?
A composite of people! Carolina Goodman because she is so organized! I appreciate her more than she could ever know. Martin Luther King, and particularly his opposition to the Vietnam War, showed the most moral courage I have seen in a human being. The closest I am seeing now is Cornel West, he is willing to say what the rest of us whisper. This is who I am. This is where I stand. This is my moral code, and it doesn’t make any difference who I am speaking to. He is one of my big role models. Stepping out and just saying, this is where I stand and not being cowed by a system that will always try to beat you back.
Brag about yourself. How has your strength and action influenced the League?
People in the League really appreciate my opinion on things. I will get a call asking for what I think about moving forward on something. I also believe my perspective as an African American woman has helped members see the application of public policies through a different lens. Not all people in our society are affected positively by some policies and we need to be aware of that. It’s easy to sometimes feel hopeless about our current situation and the country’s reluctance to make positive change. However, if and when you’re down, I believe that the universe, through the League, gives you what you need to get back up again and keep pushing forward.