The country is governed for the richest, for the corporations, the bankers, the land speculators, and for the exploiters of labor - Helen Keller

Hello, I am Helen Keller, an advocate for social justice, women’s rights, and labor equality. Among the many truths I shared during my life, one remains especially resonant: “The country is governed for the richest, for the corporations, the bankers, the land speculators, and for the exploiters of labor. The majority of mankind are working people. So long as their fair demands—the ownership and control of their livelihoods—are set at naught, we can have neither men’s rights nor women’s rights. The majority of mankind is ground down by industrial oppression in order that the small remnant may live in ease.” When I wrote these words in Out of the Dark in 1913, the industrial age was reshaping society. Immense wealth was created, but it was concentrated in the hands of a few—bankers, industrialists, and landowners—while the working class toiled under grueling conditions for meager wages. The inequality of my time was systemic, creating a moral and social imbalance that denied millions their dignity and their rights.