Date/Time
Date(s) - Thu: Mar 09, 2023
6:45 pm - 8:30 pm
Location
Stoneham Historical Society & Museum
Categories
Join us for a special program on Frances Perkins by Sarah Peskin of the Frances Perkins Center in Maine. She explores the life of Frances Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor who was the driving force behind the New Deal. Perkins, the first woman to serve as a cabinet secretary, is credited with formulating policies such as the landmark Social Security program, the 40-hour week, and unemployment insurance.
The night will also include a special traveling exhibit on Perkins. It highlights the accomplishments of the Massachusetts native through historic photographs, text, and personal memorabilia.
The exhibit will also be featured at our March Open House, along with a special 30-minute documentary created by the Frances Perkins Center, Highlights from the Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins.
“The people are what matter to government,
and a government should aim to give
all the people under its jurisdiction the best possible life.”
Perkins is credited with formulating policies to shore up the national economy following the nation’s most serious economic crisis and helping to create the modern middle class. She rose from humble New England origins to become America’s leading advocate for industrial safety and workers’ rights. When, in February 1933, President-elect Roosevelt asked Frances Perkins to serve in his cabinet as Secretary of Labor, she outlined for him a set of policy priorities she would pursue: a 40-hour work week; a minimum wage; unemployment compensation; worker’s compensation; abolition of child labor; direct federal aid to the states for unemployment relief; Social Security; a revitalized federal employment service; and universal health insurance.