“As I get older, I get bolder.” This week, Hillary takes political consultant Luis Miranda, Jr’s quip from our last episode and runs with it. She’s talking to three “women of a certain age” who have defied expectations, and stereotypes, to do great things throughout their long lives.

First, we hear from U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, who has represented southern Los Angeles for over 30 years, earning a reputation as a stalwart champion for progressive values who speaks her mind. Next up is actor Glenda Jackson, who, between winning two Academy Awards and a Tony Award, served in the British parliament for 23 years. We finish the hour with a conversation with U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono from Hawaii, who has raised her voice many times, speaking out against family separation, in defense of the Affordable Care Act, and, most recently, as an advocate for anti-hate crime legislation. 

Bios

U.S. Representative Maxine Waters has served as a congresswoman for southern Los Angeles County since January 1991. She is the first woman and first African American to chair the House Financial Services Committee. She’s also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a member and past chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

British actor Glenda Jackson has received two Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 1992, she left the stage to run for office, winning election to the British Parliament and holding office for the next 23 years. In 2016, at age 80, Glenda returned to acting with award-winning performances in Shakespeare’s King Lear, Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, and the BBC drama Elizabeth Is Missing.

Senator Mazie Hirono is the first Asian American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, and the only currently serving immigrant. Mazie sits on the Armed Services, Judiciary, Energy & Natural Resources, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Veterans’ Affairs Committees, and championed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to support better reporting and tracking of hate crimes perpetrated against the AAPI community. The bill passed both chambers with bipartisan support and was signed into law on May 20th, 2021. Mazie’s memoir, Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter’s Story, comes out in paperback in April.