Hull-House was. joined by Anya Jabour author of the new biography, Sophonisba Breckinridge: Championing Women’s Activism in Modern America (University of Illinois Press/ 2019) that highlights Sophonisba Breckinridge’s remarkable career as an educator and activist. Breckinridge, a native of Kentucky, spent her adult life in Chicago, where she became a tireless advocate of social justice. A close colleague of Jane Addams and a Hull-House resident, she advocated for labor legislation for workers, voting rights for women, social services for immigrants, civil rights for blacks, and financial support for poor families. Breckinridge took part in virtually every reform campaign of the Progressive and New Deal eras and became a nationally and internationally renowned figure. Her work informed women’s activism for decades and continues to shape progressive politics today. Anya was joined by Breckinridge family members Jessica Heinle, a social worker in Chicago Public Schools, and Madeline Breckinridge an LCSW social worker.
This event is presented in partnership with the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Reaching Across Illinois Library System, Aurora Public Library, Gail Borden Public Library, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, and Schaumburg Township District Library.
About the Author:
Anya Jabour is Regents Professor of History at the University of Montana. Her books include Topsy-Turvy: How the Civil War Turned the World Upside Down for Southern Children and Scarlett’s Sisters: Young Women in the Old South. Books will be available for purchase from Seminary Co-op Bookstore.
This program supports Jane Adams Hull-House Museum’s current exhibitions that commemorate the 100th anniversary in 2020 of women’s right to vote: Why Women Should Vote and True Peace: the Presence of Justice (September 19, 2019 - May 31, 2020).
