'We Can Do It!’ Day

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Events

On Friday 3 September, 2021, the Freedom Museum is hosting ‘We Can Do It!’ Day. On this day, we will be honouring all women who participated in the war industry during the Second World War.

We will begin the afternoon with a short lecture by curator Rense Havinga, on the emergence and imaging of Rosie the Riveter as an international symbol. This is followed by a speech by director of the Freedom Museum, Wiel Lenders, and the “Ring a Bell for the Rosies” ceremony at 1 PM. We will conclude the afternoon with an absolute highlight: a videocall with three real American Rosies:

• Anna Hess (born 1928) from Morgantown, West Virginia, grew up on a farm. During the war she produced truck tyres in Ohio, while her mother helped produce bombers. Anna was fifteen years old in 1942 and lied about her age to be able to work.
• June Robbins (born 1926) from Pennsylvania. During her final year in secondary school, she managed to convince her counsellor to allow her to take the subject of technical drawing, a subject which was reserved for boys then. A year later, she started designing part for warships in the port of Philadelphia. She also learned to weld. After she retired, June became a clown in children’s hospitals. 
• Ruth Edwards (born 1923) from Hamlin, West Virginia. During the war, she worked as a ‘runner’ in the Carnegie-Illinois steelworks. Her job was to pass messages between all the departments of the factory to ensure that everything ran smoothly. After the war, Ruth married a veteran. He has been a prisoner of war in the Pacific, and had experienced terrible things. Ruth helped him with his recovery and went to work as a secretary. This was the beginning of an extensive career.

During an hour and a half, the Rosies will tell their stories and visitors will get the chance to ask their questions. Please note, the conversation with the American Rosies will be entirely in English.

The programme will run from 12.00-3.30 PM (including a 30 min. break). Costs are €6.00 per person (only by debit card). Reservations are required, via 0031 (0)24-3974404 or welkom@vrijheidsmuseum.nl.

Please note: due to COVID-19 there is only limited space available. Seats are arranged at 1.5 metres distance from each other. This also applies to people from the same household. This means that during the programme, there will never be anyone sitting directly next to you, not even a person from your own household.