Friday, June 6, 2008

Wartime Rosies

The Jan. 2, 2008, World, serving the south coast of Oregon. "Wartime Rosies are still riveting" by Michelle Locke, AP.

There are many abandoned factories where thousands once built ships around Richmond, California. To mark the efforts of these ladies, there is now the Rosie the Riveter WW II Home Front National Historic Park located in the former shipbuilding area.

Mary Head, a former Rosie is in her mid-80s as are most of her fellow workers and believes they almost waited too late to honor their efforts.


NOT ALL WHITE

Most Rosies were shown as white women, but not all of them were. Betty Reid Soskin was a black woman living in the San Francisco Bay area when war broke out. People from all over the country were recruited to work in the shipyards. She kept records for the segregated union set up for black shipyard workers. Since she didn't really work on the ships, she doesn't refer to herself as a Rosie.


More to Come. --Old Coot

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