Dr. Peter Blaze Corcoran discusses the life work of Frances Perkins – Feminist, Working Mother and US Secretary of Labor at Feb. 13 FISH OF SANCAP Luncheon

Islanders, friends and family are invited to the community-wide FISH OF SANCAP Friendly Faces Luncheon, scheduled for Tues., Feb. 13 beginning at 11:00am. 

Says Erika Broyles, Senior Services Director, FISH who facilities the monthly event, “We’re excited to continue our 2024 event with Dr. Peter Blaze Corcoran, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies and Environmental Education at Florida Gulf Coast University. His presentation is sure to interest many and we hope you’ll join us. Sanibel Deli will provide lunch, complimentary to all guests, and of course we’ll have our very popular games and giveaways.”

The monthly luncheons are held at the Sanibel Recreation Center, 3880 Sanibel-Captiva Road, each 2^nd Tuesday of the month. A virtual option is also provided. Reservations and meal choices are required by Fri., Feb. 9 to Erika Broyles at FISH at 239-472-4775.  Zoom instructions for those joining virtually will be provided with RSVP. There is no meal delivery available for virtual participants.

Dr. Peter Blaze Corcoran has been a faculty member at College of the Atlantic, Swarthmore College, and Bates College. He has held appointments as a visiting professor at universities in Australia, The Netherlands, Fiji, Malaysia, and Kenya and has long served as a Research Fellow at the Earth Charter Center for Education for Sustainable Development at University for Peace in San José, Costa Rica.

In this illustrated talk, Dr. Peter Blaze Corcoran will share Frances Perkins’ life story, her faith-based activist journey, and her continuing legacy. Inspired by her Mount Holyoke College education and her Episcopal faith, Frances Perkins envisioned and fought for social justice, fair and safe conditions of labor, and the alleviation of poverty. She was the first woman in American history to serve as a Cabinet Secretary. In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed her to serve as Secretary of Labor and she held that post through his entire presidency. She was the architect of the New Deal and was the force behind the minimum wage, the forty-hour work week, workers compensation, unemployment insurance, workplace safety regulation, child labor protection, and Social Security. Frances Perkins faced daunting challenges in her personal and public life. She turned to her deep conviction to social justice and to her faith to help her face the burdens of family and work. In 2009, the Episcopal Church General Convention recognized her as a Public Servant and Prophetic Witness and established May 13 as her Feast Day.

Corcoran has been active with the Frances Perkins Center and will provide updates on the Frances Perkins Center in Newcastle, Maine and its work there and across the nation. For more information on the life and legacy of Frances Perkins, visit https://francesperkinscenter.org.

Corcoran continues to be active as a scholar on a range of topics in educational and environmental studies through various chapters, journal articles, and lectures. His most recent book is Envisioning Futures for Environmental and Sustainability Education, Wageningen Academic Publishers (2017). He lives on Sanibel Island, Florida, and in Pemaquid, Maine.

For more information on the FISH Friendly Faces Luncheon or to RSVP, contact Erika Broyles at FISH at 239-472-4775. For additional information on the FISH organization and their programs and services, please contact Maria Espinoza, Executive Director at 239-472-4775 or visit their website at www.fishofsancap.org.