Our friend, fellow Nebraskan, and founder of the Abbott Sisters Project, John Sorensen, will present a special performance on Grace Abbott (1878-1939) and his current book, A Sister’s Memories: The Life and Work of Grace Abbott from the Writings of Her Sister, Edith Abbott (University of Chicago Press, 2015). See the attached information from the University of Chicago Press about the book.

John will give dramatic readings from the book, select speeches, mixed with film clips from The Quilted Conscience and other works. He will also discuss the relevance, in our own turbulent times, of Grace Abbott’s work for the rights of women, children, and immigrants.

When Grace Abbott left her Nebraska home in 1907, she began a life-long career in social work that included living and working among poor immigrants in Chicago with Nobel Prize-winner Jane Addams. She advocated and organized for immigrants. She wrote a series of articles on the exploitation of female immigrants for the Chicago Evening Post. Eventually Grace Abbott became an influential national leader on behalf of immigrants when she was appointed the director of the Immigrants’ Protective League.

Don’t miss this special presentation about Nebraska-born heroines.