Rosina Bonavita was 21 when she first landed in the national spotlight. America was at war. Her fiancè was serving in the Pacific, and she was a riveter in a former GM automobile plant in Tarrytown, N.Y. In June 1943, she and her work partner set a speed record in building a Grumman Avenger torpedo bomber.
Rosie the Riveter was a symbol of the millions of women defense workers during World War II. She also was a symbol for women's rights and a changing America. And her powerful image of a determined woman has endured over all these many decades.
But Rosie Bonavita never felt she was a symbol. She simply saw her factory work as a patriotic duty -- like selling war bonds, giving blood, and learning home safety in case her neighborhood got bombed. She never made a nickel off being called "Rosie the Riveter" and never drew attention to herself. She reflected the simple, hard-working, unassuming approach of so many Italian Americans who selflessly made lasting contributions to our nation
Our Italian mothers, and grandmothers before them, may have started out as seamstresses or waitresses or hairdressers or factory workers with dreams of doing something more. But today, thanks to their hard work and dedication, their Italian-American children, and their children’s children, no longer have to dream. We have arrived; we have succeeded and we are everywhere!
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