Social Security turns 90 years old on Thursday! President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the program into law on August 14, 1935, as insurance against what he called the “hazards and vicissitudes” of life. For a federal program to endure for 90 years and maintain an extremely high level of popularity among the American people is truly extraordinary. It is an achievement that should be celebrated far and wide.
While we wish we could simply celebrate, the 90-year history of Social Security shows that we must always defend the program from those who would privatize or outright eliminate it. These forces have been at work ever since Social Security was enacted.
This year, we already have seen unprecedented interference from the Trump administration in the workings of the Social Security Administration as part of a phony campaign against ‘fraud.’ Severe cutbacks in SSA staff and needless policy changes have made it harder for Americans to access their earned benefits, giving rise to a grass roots “Hands Off Social Security” movement.
Rampant misinformation and myths about Social Security (spread mainly by the political right) are designed to undermine public support for the program. But knowledge is power. That is why we produced a new documentary film about the 90-year history of Social Security, a program born in the Great Depression that is equally crucial today as a lifeline for seniors, people with disabilities, and their families.
The documentary, “Social Security: 90 Years Strong,” was produced through a generous grant from AARP and is available for viewing here and for download by organizations who would like to hold their own screenings. As the film reveals, Social Security came into being — and lives on — for a reason: it is part of the fabric of American life and must be preserved for the future.
The film features appearances by several notables, including Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Chuck Grassley, Rep. John Larson, Nancy Altman (Social Security Works), Bill Arnone (formerly of NASI), FDR’s grandson Jim Roosevelt, Tracey Gronniger (Justice in Aging), Kathryn Edwards (Labor Economist), and Giovanna Gray Lockhart (Fmr. Director, Frances Perkins Center).
FDR’s Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, who was a prime mover in the creation of the program, said it best: “Social security is so firmly embedded in the American psychology today that no politician, no political party, could possibly destroy this act and still maintain our democratic system.”
View the documentary on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/X83f6qWsOuc?si=FUjeFgWtHiNueNLY
or download it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/1109228522?
View the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=strVY3yieJE
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Media inquiries:
Walter Gottlieb