What makes a work “protest literature”? Does literature have the power to change

What makes a work “protest literature”?
Does literature have the power to change hearts, minds, and policies?
Is the label “protest” a helpful or reductive one for literature?
For this final paper, you will have very loose parameters. Essentially, you have two options for your final paper:
Write a literary argumentation paper that seeks to answer one of the questions posed above.
Compose your own piece of protest literature on any social issue of your choosing.