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My grandfather, Clabe Wilson, was an Iowa farmer. During the slump in farm prices after WWI, he lost his farm. Clabe, my grandmother Leora, and their seven kids ended up in the small town of Dexter. He hired out to… read more
“I am quite open and unashamed in my liking for expositions—“ President Franklin D. Roosevelt, opening broadcast for the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island, February 18, 1939 Thanks to FDR, at least six of the American expositions of… read more
As I was scanning photos of New Deal public works at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, I was startled to run across one that showed the dedication in 1940 of an enormous wooden model of San Francisco. WPA… read more
In the wake of the most catastrophic wildfires in California’s history, Donald Trump accused state officials of shoddy forest management and recommended that the state’s dying forests should be raked. “Very important,” he said, to take care of the forest… read more
“New Deal Picture Stories” – The Photography of Arthur Rothstein will be hosted by the Canessa Gallery, located at 708 Montgomery St. San Francisco, CA.Opening Reception: Friday, December 7, 2018. 6:00pm–9:00 pm. Arthur Rothstein (1915-1985) is recognized as one of America’s premier photojournalists. Rothstein became the… read more
Young climate activist are driving a generational shift in the Democratic Party. Backed by Democratic Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, the climate activists with the Sunrise Movement and Justice Democrats were arrested on Capitol Hill this week. This past… read more
By Phyllis Wrynn ___________________________________ The first of the five bronze figures in George Segal’s “Depression Breadline” sculpture at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial depicts Works Progress Administration (WPA) artist Leon Bibel—a lifelong friend of Segal’s. Many notable American artists relied… read more
Videos of our “Women and the Spirit of the New Deal Conference” now online. More than 150 people attended our conference, held at UC Berkeley, October 5-6. Videos, photos, and the conference program are now online. Women played prominent… read more
The former Roosevelt Hospital has recently reopened its doors as a senior housing complex. The facility was originally constructed in 1937 as a tuberculosis sanitarium and funded by the Public Works Administration. According to the Edison-Metuchen Sentinel and the American Planning Association, “The new… read more
The Supreme Court decision on the Janus labor case is poised to have a devastating effect on public-sector unions. The decision states that public sector employees cannot be required to pay fees to labor unions, and effectively dismantles one of… read more