Black Rosie’s: Defense Plant Workers During WWII
By Jewelean Magee
(Left to Right) Evelyn Merriweather, Mary Gilbert-Harris, Ruth H. Bowman
For Women’s History Month, the theme is Moving Forward Together!: Educating and Inspiring Generations. The Johnetta R. Cole Am vets Post 24, and the African American Veterans Arts and Culture Corporation chose to honor African American women everywhere and Buffalo, New York who have worked in defense plants for the war effort. During WWII, the country was at war, when the men gone off to the military, women had to step in and do the jobs that men held in plants, shipyards, defense plants, and office buildings across the country.
But for African American women, who were known as “Black Rosies” it was harder for them at first to get jobs at defense plants, offices, and shipyards because of racism, sexual harassment, Jim Crow laws, and other forms of racism, had to f ight hard to be considered for employment. Many of the “Black Rosies’ had left the jobs that they had as domestics earning $10.00 -$15.00 a week, to bring home better wages so they can live a decent life. Some of the women left the south and headed for cities up north such as Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia, and other cities to earn -According to Dr. Maureen Honey, author of “Bitter Fruit: African American Women in WW11” emeritus professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln stated in her book that many employers held out refusing to hire African American women and only hired white women until they were force to do otherwise. Political activists Mary McCleod Bethune and A. Phillip Randolph brought this matter of discrimination to the attention of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, prompting him to sign Executive Order 8802 which banned racial discrimination in the defense industry in 1941. This order also made African American women’s entry into the war effort.
Mrs. Ruth Wilson, of Philadelphia, PA was a “Black Rosie” felt that it made her feel good because she was doing her part for the war effort. While her husband was fighting in Europe. “I also made more money. It was work you can be proud of and provide for your family.” Mrs. Wilson left her job as a domestic and became a sheet metal worker at the Philadelphia Navy Shipyard. Besides working in the plants and shipyards, “Black Rosies” held jobs as computer scientists, clerk typists, and mined/picked cotton for bed linens and uniforms of the American troops. Unlike their white counterparts, “Black Rosies” received fewer benefits and barred from controlling any union activities with the shipbuilder’s union blocking the memberships of the African American women period.
“These actions were part of the daily life and struggle of African American women as well as part of the “Double Victory campaign” said Dr. Honey denoting the slogan used during WW11 highlighting the struggle on two fronts. 1. Victory over freedom overseas. 2. Victory over racism. In 1945, Kathryn Blood, a researcher for the Department of Labor studied the wartime contributions of African American women and wrote about the “Black Rosies.” She felt that their contributions to the war effort, and the U.S. would be unwise to forget and evaluate falsely and were not recognized for their work. There are many African American women who have worked in defense plants here in Buffalo. There were three women among many that worked at the Curtiss Wright Plant located on 777 Northland Avenue where the production of P-40 aircraft were made. Their names were Mrs. Evelyn Patterson Merriweather of the Buffalo Criterion Newspaper (deceased), her sister Mrs. Mary Patterson Harris, and Mrs. Ruth Hunter Bowman, mother of Jerry Bowman member of the Johnetta R. Cole Amvets Post 24. Not only did these women worked as riveters at the defense plant, but also did their part for the war and sought to make life better for their families and the community they lived in.
There are many interesting stories about the contributions made by African Americans during WW11 both on and off the battlefield. Ms. Please visit the local libraries for more information and also read a book entitled “Bitter Fruit: African American Women in WW11” by Dr. Margaret Honey and “Double Victory” by Cheryl Mullenbach. Talk to family members and friends to find out more about these amazing women. The members of the Johnetta R. Cole Post members and the African American Veterans Arts and Culture Corporation would also love to hear and share stories in the community. Please email your contact information and story to JohnettaRColePost24@gmail.com and aavaccbuffalo21@gmail.com