My Mother Was One of the Women Known As Rosie the Riveter During World War II

I have researched my family history for over 25 years. In the process I have learned some very interesting things about my family. Included in this information is the fact that my mother, Gertrude Townsend, was one of a group of women during World War II known as “Rosie the Riveter.” Rosie the Riveter was an iconic image of women who worked from 1939 to 1945. They were called to work in the factories during war to replace the men who went off to war. They were from various backgrounds. There were hundreds of Black women who also worked in factories across the country.

These women came straight from their homes raising children to the factories with little training. The men received more training for these factory jobs. The women were needed to drive the trucks and to produce the machinery and weapons needed for the war. Some of them even worked on parts for the atomic bomb. They were unaware of this due to the secrecy of the times.

They spoke about their work on two cable television shows to inform young people about this history. I am sharing this because I view my mother as a “Veteran of the War.” She did a job to help protect this country as any soldier on the field of battle. While we were growing up as children, she only told us that she worked in one of the old chemical plants in Niagara Falls, New York on an assembly line. That’s all we knew. The women of World War II worked hard to help our country during a very difficult time. The motto of these omen was: “We Can Do It.” My mother along with millions of other women did it too!! This is a story that needs to be in our history books.