Between 1966 and 1975, the National Welfare Rights Organization built power by and for Americans relying on public assistance, and was led by Black mother Johnnie Tillmon, as well as Black community organizers and other allies. The NWRO was formed to fight for survival, dignity, and basic human rights for a group that predominantly consisted of women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. High-profile actions included the Walk for Decent Welfare, a 155-mile march from Cleveland, Ohio to the statehouse in Columbus. Other actions included a “sleep-out” at a state office building in Philadelphia to compel legislators to approve a 30 percent increase in welfare payments. Actions calling for livable welfare benefits took place in many other cities as well. The NWRO powered such victories as the formation of the Women Infants & Children (WIC) food assistance program, and the legal challenge that ended the so-called Man-in-the-House rule. This rule allowed welfare agencies to eliminate a women-headed household’s welfare benefits if so much as a man’s garment was found in unannounced home inspections by caseworkers. Tillmon’s manifesto, “Welfare is a Women’s Issue,” was published in 1972. In that year,  Ms. Magazine featured her quote: I’m a woman. I’m a Black woman. I’m a poor woman. I’m a fat woman. I’m a middle-aged woman. And I’m on welfare. In this country, if you’re any one of those things, you count less as a person.”