Women’s History Month
On March 4, 1933, Frances Perkins became the first woman to join a U.S. presidential cabinet when she was sworn in as the Secretary of Labor. She served under President Franklin Roosevelt, helping to restore the U.S. economy and uplift a generation of workers that was still struggling from the Great Depression.
Today, you see her lasting impact in many places, from the walls of the Department of Labor building in D.C. to the very grounds where many of you stand. She helped drive the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the program that later inspired the creation of Job Corps. Our campuses on parklands proudly retain the CCC title. She was also a champion for minimum wage laws, worker safety and restrictions on child labor.
Without the groundwork laid by women like Secretary Perkins, we wouldn’t have programs like Job Corps, which has helped serve almost 3 million men and women since its inception in 1964.
Frances Perkins served as Secretary of Labor for 12 years, which is still the longest tenure for a Labor secretary in U.S. history.
I share that piece of history to recognize all those women who came before us and worked hard to instill change, so that we could continue to shape our world.
As educators and mentors, it’s so important to remind the next generation of the work that was done for us. And the work we still need to continue to do to make sure every Job Corps student has the opportunity break boundaries like the alumni below.