Monday, October 12, 2009

Why October 11, 1884 Was A Good Day.

It was the day Eleanor Roosevelt was born.

This year on October 11th, John Davis in his blog for the Poughkeepsie Journal wished our former First Lady Happy 125th Birthday!

For those of us who grew up admiring this amazing woman, or those of us who have over time learned more about her efforts to better the lives of humans the world over, I hope you will read his wonderful blog post.


Her accomplishments are more fully examined in his blog. Here are just a few to consider as we honor Eleanor Roosevelt's tireless efforts right up to her death in 1962:
  • Responsible in great part for the enactment of the 1938 Fair Labors Standards Act
  • Organized White House women-only weekly press conferences to ensure women journalists equal opportunities
  • Promoted day care during WWII
  • Helped establish minimum wage, overtime pay and limits on the work week

Thank you, Mr. Davis, for bringing to our attention another woman we have to thank for making our country a better place to live.

Diana

1 comment:

Eileen Williams said...

Diana,

Thank you for alerting us to the 125th birthday of this remarkable woman. I have long admired her and all she did for human rights around the world. Her accomplishments are even more astounding when you consider that the voices of the female gender were muted for the most part... especially in the halls of government. Nevertheless, Eleanor persevered, spoke out, and entered the worldwide stage in a huge way. Granted, she was the President's wife, but much of what she did was due to her own courage and sense of justice.
Happy birthday to one of our nation's true treasures!