Nearly 200 black female leaders sent a letter earlier this week to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.-N.Y.) demanding they apologize for not supporting Rep. Maxine Waters (D.-Calif.) after she called for members of the public to hound and harass the Trump administration.

“If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere,” Waters — who has also called for President Donald Trump to be impeached — told supporters last month at a California rally.

Close

The women represented in the letter were mostly black female academics, activists, local elected officials, political consultants, and religious leaders, noted ABC News. A few males signed the letter as well.

After Waters’ infamous rallying cry to supporters, Pelosi said her Democratic colleague’s encouragement of incivility was “predictable but unacceptable” — while Schumer said calling “for the harassment of political opponents [is] not right. That’s not American.”

This was too much for the women. They believe Waters instead deserved their untempered support for her calls to action.

The letter, a copy of which was posted by Politico on Wednesday, also accused both Pelosi and Schumer and Pelosi of racial insensitivity. They noted their “profound indignation and deep disappointment over your recent failure to protect Congresswoman Waters.”

They also said, “Failing to support Congresswoman Waters is an affront to her and Black women across the country and telegraphs a message that the Democratic Party can ill afford: that it does not respect Black women’s leadership and political power and discounts the impact of Black women and millennial voters.”

They also said, “As women whose ancestors have lived through the incivility of slavery, segregation, and all other forms of discrimination, racism, and sexism … we consider it an insult to characterize Ms. Waters‘ call for the exercise of our constitutional rights as uncivil and un-American.”

Personal responsibility seems to have flown out the window; the letter appears to fault the top Democrats for not giving Waters enough cover, even as aggressions ramp up around the country. Most recently, a teen in Texas had a drink thrown in his face at a fast-food restaurant simply because he was wearing a MAGA hat — which was also stolen. The founder of the WalkAway campaign, which gives disillusioned Democrats another option, was denied service at a store. And a woman scaled the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York City on the Fourth of July to protest immigration policies.

Still, these women say that party is more important than a sense of decency and responsibility.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

“We further believe Congresswoman Waters is owed an apology for your public comments insinuating she is ‘uncivil’ and ‘unAmerican’ for challenging the Trump Administration,” the black leaders also wrote.

“For Black women, who are the most loyal base of the Democratic Party and the Progressive Movement, Congresswoman Waters is our shero [sic].”

Related: The 10 Things You Won’t Believe Maxine Waters Said About Donald Trump

Pelosi, in a statement provided to ABC News on Wednesday, called Waters a “valued leader whose passionate call for family reunification should be heard without any threats to her safety.” But she stopped short of apologizing.

“Donald Trump has sullied the bully pulpit with reckless disregard for the safety of others. He should stop his attacks on Congresswoman Waters and all Members of Congress, the free press, and all Americans who have the right and the responsibility to speak their minds,” Pelosi also said.

Schumer’s spokesman declined to comment, said ABC.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is still calling out Maxine Waters for her rants against members of his administration via social media.

“Crazy Maxine Waters, said by some to be one of the most corrupt people in politics, is rapidly becoming, together with Nancy Pelosi, the FACE of the Democrat Party. Her ranting and raving, even referring to herself as a wounded animal, will make people flee the Democrats!” he tweeted on Tuesday.

(photo credit, homepage: YouTube)