In his speech commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, President Obama stated:

“Because they marched, doors of opportunity and education swung open so their daughters and sons could finally imagine a life for themselves beyond washing somebody else’s laundry or shining somebody else’s shoes.”

“woman carrying laundry home along highway between Durham and Mebane, North Carolina” photo by Marion Post Wolcott, circa 1939, Library of Congress

The care of other people’s attire has been the province of low-wage workers throughout US history, as the chapter “dressing economically” addresses. 

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