Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is headed to Clark Atlanta University on Thursday to talk about the legacy of Black women protesting and transforming the world around them—and how this legacy has impacted not only her but her campaign.
In a promotional video released exclusively to ESSENCE highlighting the speech, Roxane Gay narrates the story of the various women-led movements and the fighting spirit that has “guided” Warren’s campaign.
“This campaign is about restructuring the rules of power. About fighting to put power in the hands of the people who need it most,” Gay notes in the video.
While speaking at Clark Atlanta, Warren is expected to highlight the story of “a group of persistent Black women, who transformed domestic work and the entire labor movement as we know it.”
That would be the story of the 1881 Atlanta washerwomen’s strike, where thousands of Black women refused to wash another garment until they received better pay and respect for their work.
“If there were ever a time to draw strength from the fighters who have come before us and finally learn the lessons of our history, that time would be right now,” Gay added at the end of the video.