“Rosie the Riveter” may get a spot on the National Mall in Washington.
The House of Representatives, without dissent, approved legislation for a memorial on or near the Mall to honor the women who took up jobs traditionally held by men when the latter went off to fight World War II.
Congress approved such a memorial in 2022, but Tuesday’s vote authorized its placement on the Mall, the grassy area between the U.S. Capitol and Lincoln Memorial and the site of numerous demonstrations in the nation’s capital.
It would join the memorials to World War II, Korea, Vietnam veterans and others along what the National Park Service calls “America’s front yard.”
“This bill advances a decades-long effort to honor the more than 1,800 trailblazing women who are now known and loved as Rosie the Riveters,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), who sponsored the bipartisan measure with Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho).
“Our Rosies answered the call when our nation needed them the most, redefining the role of the American woman and opening the door wider for generations to come,” Dingell said on the House floor during debate. “During World War II, more than 18 million women went to work in record numbers, and yet they are too often the untold story of the homefront.”
Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colo.) said that more than 18 million women went to work in support of the war effort.
“Their work went far beyond the factory floor,” he said during the debate. “Women became code breakers, pilots, medical professionals, truck drivers and community caretakers. Their contributions were essential to the Allied victory.”
