The Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA, will mark the first full day of spring with a Rosie the Riveter Day event on March 21, honoring the women who worked in aircraft factories during World War II. During the war, millions of women across the United States joined the industrial workforce, building aircraft and other equipment that supported the Allied war effort. Many of these workers became known collectively as “Rosie the Riveters,” a symbol of the women who filled factory jobs while large numbers of men served overseas.
The museum’s program will include family activities, historical presentations, live performances, and displays connected to the wartime role of women in aviation. Visitors will also be able to take photos in front of the museum’s Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress, an aircraft built by workers at Boeing’s Seattle factory in 1942. Additional activities include Rosie-themed workshops, appearances by WWII vehicle re-enactors, and giveaways related to the event.
One of the presentations, titled My Mom Was a Rosie, will take place at 11:30 a.m. Museum docent Steve Smith will discuss the role of women on the wartime home front and share personal stories about his mother, who worked as a riveter at Boeing during the war. Performances during the day will also feature the historical theater group Living Voices, which combines live performance with archival film. A program titled Fly for Freedom will run from 2:30 to 3 p.m. and will focus on the experiences of women working in the aviation industry during the war. The presentation also highlights the contributions of Black women who worked in Boeing factories, supported the Tuskegee Airmen, and participated in the Double Victory campaign.
Later in the afternoon, from 3:45 to 4:15 p.m., Living Voices will present Winning Her Wings, a multimedia performance about a Jewish American pilot who joins the Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II. Visitors who attend the event dressed in World War II-inspired clothing will receive a 20 percent discount on museum admission. All activities are included with regular admission and are free for museum members. Rosie the Riveter Day is presented in partnership with the Air & Space Forces Association and American Legion Cathay Post #186. For more information and to support The Museum of Flight, click on this link: www.museumofflight.org.
