RPJ Honoring 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage with Frances Perkins Documentary

On January 22, RPJ kicks off an important year honoring 100 years of women’s suffrage and inspiring further progress by co-underwriting Women Creating Change’s Founders Day screening of the first documentary produced on the life of Frances Perkins and her transformative role as a woman in American politics, Summoned: Frances Perkins and the General Welfare. RPJ also supported production of the film, produced by Mick Caouette, which is slated for national broadcast on PBS in March in honor of Women’s History Month.

Perkins was the first female member of a Presidential Cabinet, and the longest-serving Cabinet member ever, serving under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and then Harry S. Truman as Secretary of Labor (1933-1945). She was instrumental in the development and implementation of the New Deal’s fair labor laws, including the first minimum wage, the 40-hour work week, ending child labor under age 16, Social Security and more. Her life and many achievements affect and benefit all of us.

RPJ is co-sponsoring the WCC screening with UBS Financial Services’ Women’s Segment. RPJ Partner Helen D. (“Heidi”) Reavis serves as Chair of the Board of WCC, of which Perkins was one of the founding members (under the organization’s original name, Women’s City Club of New York). We are proud to honor the achievements of one of the most influential and least-credited women in America’s history as we celebrate a century of women’s right to vote in our country.

Be sure to watch your local listings in March for the PBS broadcast of Summoned!