Lecture by Jessie B. Ramey

Part of the Women’s History Lecture Series, author of the innovative study, Child Care in Black and White Working Parents and the History of Orphanages Jessie B. Ramey, will discuss her book examining the development of institutional child care from 1878 to 1929, based on a comparison of two “sister” orphanages in Pittsburgh: the all-white United Presbyterian Orphan’s Home and the all-black Home for Colored Children. Focusing on the agency of poor families who used these institutions in times of family crisis to meet their child care needs, Ramey explores the cooperation and conflict among working parents, children, orphanage managers, progressive reformers, staff members, and the broader community.