“We showed up for something we cared about, for each other, for ourselves, for women we knew and for women we would never personally know.” – Wendy Davis
Senator Davis is best known for leading a Filibuster of legislation that would severely restrict abortion access in Texas. She started speaking at 11:18 am on June 25, 2013 and was forced to stop nearly 11 hours later because of procedural motion.
As she effectively shared her story last weekend we learned that her efforts that day in June in Texas caused a movement to rise up. During the 11 hours she spoke, people flocked to the Texas State House and filled it to capacity. Once at capacity people started gathering outside. Then when she was stopped from speaking and the Lieutenant Governor called for the vote, the people in the State House rose up to speak out and their voices prevented the vote from finishing by the midnight deadline.
That night in Texas was a team effort.
“State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-TX, began her speech at a reproductive justice event Saturday afternoon with an impassioned message about personal stories and the “power of empathy” to break down political barriers. Following her own advice, Davis, who first came to national attention in 2013 for her 13-hour filibuster of a bill that sought to limit access to abortions in Texas, shared her experiences with the Brown community.” Brown Daily Herald