Rosie the Riveter Theme to Women’s Day in Sonoma County

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Despite cool and blustery weather, a small but energetic crowd turned out on Santa Rosa’s courthouse square Sunday for International Women’s Day.

The event in Santa Rosa, titled Rosie Rally 2020, took on a decidedly retro theme, with the focus on the contributions to women throughout history, and especially the women who manned jobs on the home front in World War II.

The theme was “We Can Do It,” and many women arrived dressed in blue shirts and polka dot scarves, like the original Rosie the Riveters, and danced to 40s vintage music supplied by the Swingin’ Blue Star Singers. Also on the square was a selection of vintage cars courtesy of the Rollin’ Rosies Car Club.

At least two original Rosie the Riveters were on hand, including 98 year old Phyllis Gould, who was a wartime welder and one of the first female workers at the Kaiser Richmond Shipyard during World War II.

She told News of the North Bay that she believes women have made great progress in the workforce since World War II, but for those first pioneers who went to work in jobs traditionally occupied by men, recognition has been slow in coming.

Through her efforts and those of others, America’s female wartime workers have been more widely recognized in recent years. In 2014, Gould was part of a delegation that was invited to the White House to meet President Obama and Vice President Biden, and she continues to work to have the federal government set aside March 21st as Rosie the Riveter Day.