Reebok released a t-shirt in honor of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who last week was silenced on the Senate floor when she read from a letter Coretta Scott King wrote in 1986.
The “Nevertheless, She Persisted” slogan on the shirt is a quote from Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate Majority Leader. After invoking Rule XIX, which forbids demeaning another senator, to silence her, McConnell said, “The response from the opposition: ‘She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.’”
The rare silencing occurred during debate on the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, to be attorney general. Reebok is based in Boston and Warren is a Democrat senator from Massachusetts.
In a statement, Reebok said of the slogan, “the same sentiment has been used to obstruct women everywhere from the workforce, to the gym, to the starting line of marathons. And nevertheless, women persist.”
For every “Nevertheless, She Persisted” t-shirt sold, Reebok will donate $20 to the newly formed Women’s March organization. Reebok said the organization is responsible for inspiring hundreds of protest marches across the globe in January, most notably at the nation’s capital.
The shirt sold out quickly on Reebok’s website.
“We are inspired and empowered by the senator’s recent statements and these t-shirts are our way of showing our support for all women who continue to persist and break down barriers,” says Reebok’s senior director of brand management, Inga Stenta, who attended the Women’s March in Washington D.C., on January 21. “As a women’s first brand, we stand behind the Women’s March and believe we have the resources and platform to contribute in a meaningful way.”
“The decision to support this movement was an easy one,” Stenta continued. “No one should be silenced.”
Image courtesy Reebok
