During World War II, more than 600,000 Black women later called the “Black Rosies” entered factories, shipyards, and aircraft plants to keep America’s war machine alive. They welded ships, built planes, packed ammunition, and worked brutal hours under dangerous conditions while the nation depended on their labor.
But even as they helped defeat fascism abroad, they faced racism at home. Many were paid less, given the hardest jobs, denied promotions, and forced into segregated workplaces and housing. Some white workers even protested against working beside them.
Still, Black women showed up anyway.