Rosie the Riveter-Still Making a Difference

I hope everyone knows the story of the Rosie the Riveter, and the difference they made during WWII.  One of the Rosie the Riverters is still making a difference, according to a recent story in the Washington Post.  94-year-old ‘Rosie the Riveter’ once made warplanes and red bandannas. Now she makes face masks with the same cloth. features Mae Krier, who has continued to make a difference. "For many years, Krier has paid tribute to her beloved Rosie the Riveters by making red bandannas with white polka dots — a style shown in J. Howard Miller’s iconic Rosie the Riveter “We Can Do It!” poster for Westinghouse Electric. Since the war against the novel coronavirus started, Krier shifted her energy from making Rosie bandannas to Rosie face masks, cut from the same cotton cloth."

The article provides a nice history of the Rosier the Riveters, which is a good read for our students, who may not know the story.  Ms. Krier also explains the can do attitude of the Riveters and how she sees it applying to the pandemic.   She also expressed to the reporter her reactions to the pandemic and masks:

[S]he is frustrated and disheartened to see how many Americans are fighting safety measures and refusing to wear masks. Nurses, she said, are the new Rosie the Riveters, and hospitals are the new battlefield with coronavirus patients.

“We’re fighting a different kind of war — a terrible virus,” she said. “Where is the ‘We can do it’ spirit?”

To learn more or to order a mask, visit the Honor Rosie Facebook page. To learn more about Ms. Krier and the Rosies, click here.