Events
Upcoming Events
Events at the Frances Perkins National Monument
Special Event: Celebrating The 90th Anniversary of Social Security
September 7, 2025 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Frances Perkins National Monument
Commemorate the 90th anniversary of the signing of the Social Security Act at the Frances Perkins National Monument!
Join the Frances Perkins Center and our partners as we celebrate this program’s historic achievements toward economic security in the United States, while also considering the opportunities–and challenges–for even more inclusive and supportive policies.
To mark this significant anniversary, Frances Perkins Center will honor James Roosevelt, Jr. and the Maine Women’s Lobby for their efforts to preserve and promote this essential New Deal program. We hope you can join us!
Other Events (Virtual & National)
Social Security at 90 | Two-part panel | Virtual or in-person at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute)
Frances Perkins Center is pleased to be a part of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College’s “Social Security at 90: Its Inspiring History – and Imperiled Future,” a two-part panel discussion about the origins of Social Security and solutions to securing its future.
Date: September 10th and September 11th
Time: 6pm ET
Location: Virtually or in person at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, New York, New York
Frances Perkins Center board member Sarah Peskin will be a panelist on September 10th’s panel: Social Security: How was it born?
Learn more and register HERE.
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Past Events
Book Talk with Derek Leebaert (Unlikely Heroes) - August 17, 2025
Frances Perkins Center presented a virtual discussion of Derek Leebaert’s 2023 book Unlikely Heroes, in which Leebaert reexamines President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency by exploring the lives and achievements of his chosen inner circle: Frances Perkins, Henry Wallace, Harry Hopkins, and Harold Ickes. FPC Executive Director Amanda Hatch joined the author to learn more about these leaders and how they fostered the creative problem solving that led to the greatest policy achievements of the 20th century. This timely conversation was recorded on the heels of the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act—and as our nation faces some of the same issues that challenged the Roosevelt administration.
AARP Maine at the Frances Perkins National Monument (July - August 2025)
Meditation with AARP Maine
Join AARP Maine at the Frances Perkins National Monument to learn more about the practice of meditation. This event offers a unique opportunity to walk in Secretary Perkins’ footsteps and reflect on her contributions while finding solace in the serene environment of her family’s homestead. We will explore the practice of meditation and its benefits in navigating significant uncertainties, such as retirement security. Come and be part of this enriching experience that combines history, reflection, and personal well-being.
Book Talk with Rebecca Brenner Graham (Dear Miss Perkins) - July 12 & 13, 2025
Rebecca Brenner Graham, Postdoctoral Research Associate at Brown University and author of Dear Miss Perkins: A Story of Frances Perkins’s Efforts to Aid Refugees from Nazi Germany, in conversation with Amanda Hatch, Executive Director of the Frances Perkins Center, at the Frances Perkins National Monument.
A Community Meeting with Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland - August 15, 2024
The Frances Perkins Center welcomed Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz to tour the Homestead and participate in a community meeting. During the meeting, state and local leaders voiced their support for a national monument designation.
Photography by Kari Herer
Unlikely Heroes: A Conversation with Derek Leebaert and Scott Wallace - October 11, 2023
An economy in turmoil, an angry and frustrated workforce, racial injustice, war and conflict threatening from abroad: these are just some of the issues that challenged the Roosevelt administration, and those we continue to face today.
We offer a recording of our conversation with Derek Leebaert, author of Unlikely Heroes: Franklin Roosevelt, His Four Lieutenants, and the World They Made, Giovanna Gray Lockhart, Executive Director of the Frances Perkins Center, and Scott Wallace, Co-Chair of the Wallace Global Fund. Panelists discussed how Frances Perkins, Henry Wallace, and FDR fostered problem-solving that led to the greatest policy achievements of the 20th century.
Homestead Opening and Awards Celebration - August 13, 2023
The Frances Perkins Center celebrated the opening of the newly preserved Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark and honored three individuals continuing in Frances Perkins’ footsteps by supporting the “best possible life” for all.
