On a cold, blustery January day in 1912, immigrant women walked out of the Everett Mill in the Massachusetts factory town of Lawrence demanding higher wages and better working conditions. Mill owners and city government responded in a swift and heavy-handed manner; local militias and police forces were called to the streets. Protesters died. Many more were arrested.

On a cold, blustery February day 107 years later, the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren stood in front of Everett Mill to announce her candidacy for president of the United States, channeling the spirit of those women as she told her supporters that they were in a fight for their lives against a rigged system that favors the rich and powerful.

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“These workers – led by women – didn’t have much. Not even a common language. Nevertheless, they persisted,” she said. “The story of Lawrence is about how real change happens in America. It’s a story about power – our power – when we fight together.”

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For Warren, who grew up in an economically struggling Oklahoma household and who first rose to mainstream prominence by handing out practical financial advice to American families, the word “fight” is central to her platform and political ethos – it was a word peppered throughout her speech.

But on Saturday, she made clear that hers was not just a fight against president Donald Trump, but against a system she described as one where the rich, privileged and powerful oppress the rest of the country.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Supporters in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

“The man in the White House is not the cause of what is broken, he is just the latest – and most extreme – symptom of what’s gone wrong in America, a product of a rigged system that props up the rich and the powerful and kicks dirt on everyone else,” she said. “So once he’s gone, we can’t pretend that all of this never happened.”

The backdrop of the mill, where the so-called Bread and Roses strikes originated, was symbolic. But so too was the choice of the modern day city of Lawrence, which is one of those places in America that has felt left behind in recent times. To many in New England, Lawrence is synonymous with crime, drugs and poverty. The Republican governors of Maine and New Hampshire have invoked the city’s name when laying blame for the opioid crises in their states. As was the case at the time of the strikes, Lawrence is a working class city of immigrants, with a population that is about 80% Latino. It is a city where wealth is nearby, but out of reach for many.

Sebastian Brown, 31, moved to Lawrence five years ago. While he had yet to choose a candidate to support, he was excited by Warren’s message and was happy Warren chose the town as the site of her announcement.

I think we need a woman president and I think it will be the fight of our lives Vicki Ward, rally attendee

“This is a working class city. And I think her – and Bernie [Sanders] – are running on platforms that speak to the working class and how they’re being screwed over by the rich and powerful,” he said. “And I think she’s a great messenger for it.”

While there was optimism about Warren’s candidacy at her rally, she enters an already crowded Democratic field amid renewed controversy over her past identification as Native American.

For years now – since even before he was president – Trump has needled Warren on the issue, calling her “Pocahontas”. He and others accuse Warren of falsely presenting herself as Native American to gain unfair advantages in life.

The controversy was re-ignited last week when the Washington Post published Warren’s 1986 registration card for the Texas State Bar. In it, she listed “American Indian” as her race.

Warren has now apologised repeatedly for identifying as Native American, saying in recent days that she “should have been more mindful of the distinction with tribal citizenship and tribal sovereignty”. She still maintains that Native American ancestry was part of her family’s story passed down to her.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Elizabeth Warren called Donald Trump the ‘most extreme’ symptom of a broken system. Photograph: Cj Gunther/EPA

How damaging the controversy will be remains to be see. Warren enters a diverse Democratic field where other candidates belong to minority groups: New Jersey senator Cory Booker is African American; California senator Kamala Harris was born to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is both the first Hindu and first Samoan-American member of Congress, and the former San Antonio mayor Julián Castro is Latino. When the Democratic race gets heated, Warren’s portrayal of race could prove to be a point of attack.

Peter Devlin, a 56-year-old dentist from the nearby town of North Andover, said he was at the rally to hear what Warren had to say but said that the Native American controversy “is going to be a problem” for her campaign.

“I voted for her as senator, but I’m concerned about her electability,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough run. She’s got a bit of baggage and she’s so sort of cliche progressive liberal that I think there’s a lot of America that’s not up for that. But I want to hear what she’s up to.”

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However, other attendees, like 64-year-old Vicki Ward, who drove two hours to the event from Vermont, were ready to throw their support behind Warren on the first day of the senator’s presidential campaign.

“I think she’s got the qualities that we need,” she said. “I think we need a woman president and I think it will be the fight of our lives.”

Maryann Johnson, who came to Warren’s announcement from New Hampshire, also said she was already sold on Warren.

“I basically agreed with everything she said. We need to have more equality, there needs to be less corruption in government,” she said. “She’s inspiring.”