Award-winning journalist and author of The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience gave a talk on March 31. Kirstin Downey provided a riveting exploration of how and why Perkins slipped into historical oblivion, and restores Perkins to her proper place in history.

The lecture was part of the 2008-2009 Body Politic(s) series exploring contemporary political matters, issues of women and power and powerlessness, and the issues, possibilities, and challenges that arise when bodies are politicized by domestic and international policies, wars, and conflicts. The event was cosponsored by the Weissman Center for Leadership and the Liberal Arts and the Mount Holyoke College Frances Perkins Program.