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Press release/statement

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Tamara Draut, Janell Ross and National Labor Leaders at National Press Club

Recent movements like the Fight for $15 have made it clear that today’s working class—who are more female and racially diverse than ever before—will not stay on the margins of the political stage, where they have long been relegated. Instead, these workers are fearlessly fighting to reclaim the moral authority, respect and economic opportunities past generations enjoyed. On April 14, 2016, at 8:45 a.m ET at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., Demos invites you to a timely discussion on their struggles, politics and burgeoning power. The event will be live-streamed for those that cannot attend.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will deliver opening remarks. She will be followed by Demos Vice President of Policy and Research Tamara Draut, who will illuminate how these workers are shifting the political landscape. Draut will then be joined by two of the nation’s leading activists working on behalf of working families, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre and Jobs with Justice Executive Director Sarita Gupta,  and General Laborer Gregory Lambert, profiled in Sleeping Giant,  for a panel discussion on the growing power and potential of America’s new working class. Washington Post reporter Janell Ross will moderate.

Event Itinerary

  • 8:45 — Breakfast

  • 9:00 —Welcoming Remarks, Heather McGhee, President of Demos

  • 9:15 — Opening Remarks, Senator Elizabeth Warren

  • 9:30 — Author and panel discussion featuring moderator and Washington Post reporter Janell Ross, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre, Jobs with Justice Executive Director Sarita Gupta, and General Laborer Gregory Lambert


In Sleeping Giant, in stores on April 5th, 2016, Demos Vice President of Policy & Research Tamara Draut provides the first major examination of the new working class and the role it will play in our economic and political future. The stakes are high: restoring the political and economic power of today’s working class, Draut argues, is the best path to securing all of our economic futures.

Sleeping Giant is the follow-up to Draut’s critically acclaimed book Strapped: Why America's 20- and 30-Somethings Can't Get Ahead (Doubleday, 2006).

PRAISE for Sleeping Giant

“Tamara Draut's new book is a wonderful tribute to working people.” — Ai-Jen Poo, Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance

“In our populist time, her call could not be more relevant or vital.” — Jacob S. Hacker, co-author of American Amnesia and Winner-Take-All Politics

What: Panel discussion of the rise of the new working class

When: April 14, 8:45 a.m.

Where: National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington D.C.
Holeman Lounge

Who:

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

Heather McGhee, President of Demos

Tamara Draut, author of Sleeping Giant: How The New Working Class Will Transform America and Vice President of Policy and Research at Demos

Sarita Gupta, Executive Director of Jobs with Justice

Tefere Gebre, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President

Gregory Lambert, General Laborer, profiled in Sleeping Giant

Moderator: Janell Ross, The Washington Post