Dear Miss Perkins: A Story of Frances Perkins’s Efforts to Aid Refugees from Nazi Germany

with author Rebecca Brenner Graham

Frances Perkins (1880 – 1965) was the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet, the longest-serving labor secretary, and an architect of the New Deal. Yet beyond these celebrated accomplishments, there is another dimension to Frances Perkins’s story. Without fanfare, and despite powerful opposition, Perkins helped save the lives of countless Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. 

As Secretary of Labor, she wrestled with widespread antisemitism and isolationism, finding creative ways to work around quotas and restrictive immigration laws. Diligent, resilient, empathetic, yet steadfast, she persisted on behalf of the desperate when others refused to act.   

Based on extensive research, including thousands of letters housed in the National Archives, Dear Miss Perkins adds a new dimension to an already extraordinary life story, revealing at last how one woman tried to steer the nation to a better, more righteous course. 

Dr. Rebecca Brenner Graham is a postdoctoral research associate at Brown University. She holds a PhD in History from American University and previously taught at The Madeira School and American University. She was awarded prestigious fellowships from the National Archives Foundation and the White House Historical Association, and her writing has appeared in publications such as The Washington Post, Time, and Slate. 

Join us, with author Dr. Graham in conversation with Samantha Abramson – HERC Executive Director, for this fascinating chapter of American history!

Register here.

This program is in partnership with Boswell Books.