Thanks to Frances Perkins: Fighter for Workers’ Rights

An engaging picture book biography of Frances Perkins, the first woman cabinet member and activist who created the Social Security program.

At 31, Frances Perkins witnessed the Triangle Waist Factory fire in 1911, one of the worst industrial disasters in U.S. history. The event forever changed her, and while some activists pressed factory owners for change, Frances actually got to work and joined the fight for workers’ rights.

It was when Frances Perkins became Secretary of Labor in Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration-the first woman cabinet member-that she had the opportunity to make real her bold vision of a country where no one is left out and Americans are protected. Thanks to her efforts, we have the Social Security program, a move that changed Americans’ lives for generations to come.

Deborah Hopkinson’s energetic text and Kristy Caldwell’s appealing illustrations unite to tell Perkins’ fascinating story as well as introduce early concepts of financial literacy, the Social Security Act, and the New Deal. Back matter features more information about Frances Perkins, Social Security, and resources for economic education.