Is the future of the Democratic Party female?

Holding a transcript of her speech in the Senate Chamber, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts reacts to being rebuked by the Senate leadership and accused of impugning a fellow senator, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., the attorney general nominee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017. Warren was barred from saying anything more on the Senate floor about Sessions after she quoted from an old letter from Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow about Sessions. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

"Nevertheless, she persisted."

These three words echoed through the Senate chamber Tuesday, quickly landing in their eternal home: the internet.

The words were spoken as Massachusets Senator Elizabeth Warren made a last-ditch effort to stop the confirmation of Jeff Sessions for the role of attorney general.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vla6YNewfXg

To that end, she quoted a letter written by Coretta Scott King, the late widow of Martin Luther King Jr.

King composed the correspondence back in 1986 and sent it to members of Congress who were considering Sessions for a position as federal judge. In it, King urged them to reject him.

When Warren tried to read the letter Tuesday, she didn't get far: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used a little-known Senate rule to silence her.

But it didn't take long for the internet to co-opt his words. #ShePersisted started popping up all over; it's even been called "a new battle cry."

The popularity of this hashtag sums up a conversation that's happening across the country: what role will women play in the future of the Democratic Party?

Take Two put that question to Rachel VanSickle-Ward, associate professor of political studies at Pitzer.

"Nevertheless, she persisted."

Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.