Viola Davis has had one heck of year. Coming off her recent Oscar nomination for her role in The Help hasn’t slowed her a bit.

Davis is getting back to work as she prepares to take on a new role in a biopic slated to begin production soon. Davis will portray Barbara Jordan, the first African-American elected to the Texas Senate and the first Southern black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Jordan was also known for her contributions to civil rights and women’s rights. The film will be directed by Paris Barclay.

“In a world of movies about giants and Martians and toys come to life, if you can actually get involved with a movie about a human who single-handedly changed American politics, you say ‘yes,’?” Barclay told Variety. “We’re hoping this becomes a movie that shows the world everything that Viola can do. People haven’t seen everything that she’s capable of, and this role is so powerful.”

Watch Barbara Jordan’s keynote address at the Democratic National Party Convention in 1976