Frances Perkins has been described as one of America’s most influential women of the first half of the 20th century. Yet she sits in the back seat of American history.
Come soak up stories from this woman who defied the conventions of her middle-class Worcester upbringing to become the country’s first female cabinet secretary (FDR’s Secretary of Labor). Frances Perkins was a driving force behind work-related laws and programs we take for granted: these include the country’s fire-safety code, the minimum wage, and Social Security. Learn about the catastrophic factory fire that fueled her years of relentless campaigning to (among other things) eliminate hazardous, filthy workplace conditions, enact the minimum wage, and eliminate child labor in New York. She would later incorporate these into the New Deal.
Be prepared to discover her secrets to building alliances and staring down political bullies to make government a champion for retirees, working people, and children.
This is Part 1 of a 2-part series about Frances Perkins’ life.
Janet Parnes of Historical Portrayals by Lady J, Millis will portray Miss Perkins. (www.women-history.com). This program is open to adults and teens.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Westborough Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.