Meet the Unsung Heroine Behind the New Deal

Come soak up some of the tragedies, trials, and triumphs that shaped Miss Perkins’ early life and career – fine-tuned her talents, opened her eyes, and sculpted her character. This prepared her for the rigors of life as the first woman to serve in the Cabinet - Secretary of Labor during the tumultuous years of the FDR administration. This is part one of a two-part series. Frances Perkins defied the conventions of her middle-class Worcester upbringing to become a driving force behind workplace laws we take for granted: these include the fire-safety code, 40-hour workweek, Social Security and much more. They will learn about the strategy she used to tap into the power of the notorious politicians of Tammany Hall; they will hear details around the infamous New York factory fire that sparked her years of relentless campaigning to (among other things) eliminate hazardous, filthy workplace conditions, enact a minimum wage, and eliminate child labor in New York. Later, as Secretary of Labor Miss Perkins would incorporate many of these into the New Deal. Find out out about Miss Perkins’s personal and professional ups and downs as the wife of an untreatable, mentally ill husband, mother, and woman forging her way through a man’s world. Discover access to her secrets to building alliances and staring down bullies to help make government an ally for working adults, children, and retirees. Janet Parnes of Historical Portrayals by Lady J, Millis will portray Miss Perkins. (www.women-history.com) The portrayal is free. Seating is limited — please register (suggested) online through the Library website( https://www.uxbridgelibrary.org/) or by calling the Library at 508-278-8624. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Uxbridge Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

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Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2367063-0

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