Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park

Helen August was born in New York City into a secular, Jewish family active in the labor movement. When she was twelve years old, her family moved to Southern California. In this interview, she talks about the differences between New York City and Los Angeles, especially in terms of race relations and diversity.

Tillie Flapan was born June 4th, 1917. In this interview, she talks about her experiences growing up Jewish in a Jewish neighborhood, life before and after the war, her and her family’s response to concentration camps, and settling down in the Berkeley/Oakland area. She and her first husband met at a dance hall before WWII, and after they married, he was drafted into the Army.

Betty Hardison worked at the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, California during World War II, helping workers find housing. Living in the all-white government housing development, Atchison Village, Betty forged lifelong connections and community with other young couples. These experiences helped her family achieve the postwar American Dream of suburban home ownership, a dream made possible by government subsidies and racial exclusion.

Betty Reid Soskin is an East Bay-based civil rights activist, musician, and pioneering businesswoman. Through her work at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historic Park, she has also become a leading spokesperson for the diverse experiences of domestic war-effort workers during World War II.

During World War II, the US government established the first (and only) universal American childcare program to care for the children of women war workers.

Keith Park is as a horticulturalist and certified arborist and maintains the historic landscapes at John Muir National Historic Site, Eugene O’Neil National Historic Site, Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, and Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial. He received the 2021 regional Cultural Resource Award for Facility Maintenance Specialist for his outreach work with community partners and National Park Service sites across the Pacific West.

Donated from Mignon Sherer, a Jewish-American woman who worked as a Rosie in WWII. A group of women and men factory workers at Murray Body Corporation. 1940's.

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment the National Park Service has developed a number of special programs. This includes online content, exhibits, and special events. The National Park Service’s Cultural Resources Geographic Information Systems (CRGIS) announces the release of a story map that highlights some of these programs and provides information for the public to locate and participate.