The Rosie the Riveter Memorial Honoring American Womens Labor During WWII

One of the most famous American images of World War Two is Rosie the Riveter saying "We Can Do It!" World War Two drastically changed much of American life, and this was especially true in California. Historians have referred to World War Two as California's "second gold rush." Massive amounts of men and women moved to the West Coast to work in shipbuilding and other war industries. Richmond's population boomed from 23,000 to 100,000 in two years. While the men went off to fight in the war, women stayed behind and in huge numbers entered the industrial labor force, taking over jobs which traditionally were occupied by men. These women proved that they were able to do a "man's job" just as well as any man. After the war, many of these women moved back to secretarial jobs or being housewives, but the image of a strong independent woman - Rosie - stuck around and is to this day used in feminist imagery.

The City of Richmond, in the East Bay is host to The Rosie the Riveter Memorial: Honoring American Women's Labor During WWII, the first national monument to celebrate and interpret women's crucial contributions to the World War Two Home Front. The memorial is inside The Marina Bay Park along the water's edge. It is on a pleasant bicycle/walking trail which has more historical WWII markers. This is the former site of the Kaiser Shipyards, the largest and most productive shipyards used in The Second World War. Visiting is free and open every day from dawn to dusk.