Fiery Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters was welcomed like a contemporary rock star when she entered the 2017 Black Girls Rock Awards, as the audience screamed loudly and gave her the night's rowdiest and wildest applause. [Snip] "I want you to know, if it was not for the love and respect shown to me by black women, those right-wing ultra conservatives ... they would have me believe I'm too black, I'm too confrontational, I'm too tough, and I'm too disrespectful of them," she said. "But now I know I'm simply a strong, black woman."