Do you know the name Frances Perkins? She was the indomitable woman who moved FDR to create most of the so-called safety net we now enjoy. A mysterious figure largely unknown to the general public today, she remains a hero of labor and advocates for social justice. She was so committed to her cause that she changed her name, her age, and her appearance to make herself a more effective advocate. The first woman to serve as a Cabinet Secretary, the only piece of her agenda as FDR's secretary of Labor (for 12 years) that she wasn't able to pass was national health insurance. We owe so much to her, yet know so little.
The newly formed (2009) Frances Perkins Center, located at the Perkins family homestead in Newcastle, Maine, and dedicated to honoring her accomplishments and carrying on her commitment to working people, is launching its Washington, DC, debut with two events on Tuesday, April 21st -- and we invite all fans of Frances Perkins and the New Deal to join us.
More about the two events after the jump...
I. Celebrating Frances Perkins and Her Commitment to Social Justice 3:30 - 5:00 in the Great Hall of the Department of Labor's Frances Perkins Building, 200 Constitution (use the Visitors' Entrance off 3rd Avenue). Please RSVP to have your name on the list, expediting your security check-in. Free and open to the public.
Speakers at the Department of Labor include:
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
Kirstin Downey, author of the new biography of Frances Perkins, The Woman Behind the New Deal
Dr. Christopher Breiseth, president-emeritus of the Frankln and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and a personal friend of Secretary Perkins
Frances Perkins's grandson, Tomlin Coggeshall
Executive Director of the Frances Perkins Center (me), Barbara Burt
II. Reception for the Frances Perkins Center 6:00PM at the Woman's National Democratic Club, where Frances was once a member, 1526 New Hampshire Avenue NW (just of Dupont Circle) Suggested donation $50, to benefit the Center. RSVP
The reception at the Woman's National Democratic Club (which is a very atmospheric place) will include food and drinks, an exhibit of memorabilia, piano music of the 1930s, and the chance to mingle with other New Deal -- and New New Deal -- enthusiasts.
To learn more about the Center, visit http://FrancesPerkinsCenter.org.
To read a recent article and see several slideshows about the Center, go to http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/....
For more info about these events, call 207-208-8955 or email info@FrancesPerkinsCenter.org.
Hope to see all Washington-area folks there!