The Home Front Festival - Rosie The Riveter

I attended the Home Front Festival today (15 October 2011) which is a celebration of the efforts of the folks (mostly women) of Richmond, California, and those who migrated here from the south of mid-west, who helped in the war effort.  This was during a time when people knew exactly what they were fighting for.  Not like today, where reasons are given on minute, and then another one is given the next and another the next.  But I digress.

The event was held in the Craneway Pavillion, originally called the Ford Assembly Plant in which different booths were set up to honor the men, but mostly women, who helped during the war effort and those women were called Rosie The Riveter.

I had the pleasure of going down there before the event opened to the public at 1100.  I was there at 0830 because a friend of mine was volunteering for a few hours.  I say pleasure because I was able to spend time with two women at a table.  One is an author, Jeane Slone, and other works for the Rosie The Riveter Trust by the name of Marsha Mather-Thrift.

Jeane Slone wrote two books based on the women workers and fighter pilots during that time in two books, each dedicated to each subject.

She Built Ships - about women ship builders

She Flew Bombers - about women fighter pilots during WW II

 

I will be interviewing Jeane Slone later, to get more information on her books.

I also had the pleasure of meeting three original "Rosie The Riveters"

Maxine began working at a telephone company after high school.  Shortly there after, she attended school on Mission Street to be a ship burner, but she really wanted to be a fitter and a fitter she became in 1942.  Two years later she joined the Marine Core and served two years

Lee lied about her age to get work on the shipyard.  When she was 17 she wanted to work, but you had to be 18.  She said she was 18, got into wielding school, which was an 8 hr class. At the end of the 8 hrs, you took a test and if you passed you worked on the shipyard.

Not pictured is Betty Soskin, who is not only an original "Rosie" but also gives bus tours of Maritime Richmond Shipyard and surrounding areas, accompanied with her stories of her days as a shipyard worker.  I will be taking the bus tour on 29 October, in which I will provide a picture and stories.

One thing that stood out for me at the event, outside of Rosie The Riveter, were these giant sculptures done by Mario Chiodo, in which the series is called REMMEBER THEM: Champions for Humanity.
I took picture of a few of the sculptures.

Oskar Schindler

Oskar Schindler - yes, I took his picture twice because the Holocaust is my area of interest.

Rosa Parks - she was not the first person of color to refuse to give up her seat to a white person.  Look up Plessy vs. Ferguson.

Ralph Abernathy

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Corretta Scott King

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

The SS Red Oak Victor boat was made available for us to take a tour of. 

THE CAPTAIN'S ROOM

THE BEGINNING OF THE SHIP

THE END OF THE SHIP

In all, the ship is 455 feet long.

All in all, it was a great day.  I got more history than I know what do with, but at the same time, it left me wanting more.

As mentioned, I will be back with stories from the bus tour and anything else I can find out relating to Rosie the Riveter.