Rosie the Riveter’s original factory, where bombers were literally made by the hour during WWII, is in danger of being permanently closed down.
While Rose Will Monroe was the first “Rosie the Riveter,” thousands of Rosies have gathered to show their support against the closing of the Michigan-based factory that personified female empowerment during the height of WWII. The plant faces a wrecking ball, and the only thing that stands in its way is two days and $1 million, Yahoo reports.
The Save the Bomber Plant campaign is trying to save the plant and has already raised $7 million, but a total of $8 million is needed to keep that particular American dream alive.
“It should be taken care of so that everybody – our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren – can enjoy it as the years go by,” said 88-year-old Loraine Osborne, one of the original Rosies.
At the height of production, the Rosies managed to crank out one B-24 Liberator per hour, reaching a total of 8,685 bombers made in all.
“It was really important to get those planes out so they could save people’s lives,” said Osborne.”
Now, the Save the Bomber Plant campaign hopes to save at least 150,000 square feet of the plant and convert it into an extension of the Yankee Air Museum.
But the group faces a bit of a time crunch and without the necessary funds, the plant will be torn down and turned into a vehicle research center.
“Time is really short on this,” said Dennis Norton, the president of the Michigan Aerospace Foundation and one of the foremost leaders in charge of saving the plant. “We need people to help, but I honestly think we’re going to make it.”
In the traditional Rosie spirit, Osborne expressed her “we can do it” attitude, saying that as long as she’s around, she’s going to put up a fight.
“I don’t let anything stop me,” Osborne said, “because my mother taught us, ‘As long as you can put one foot in front of the other, you can go.’”
[ Yahoo ]
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