Rosie the Riveter Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. DeSAULNIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their leadership on this and my friend from Texas for yielding.

I rise today as a proud sponsor of the Rosie the Riveter Congressional Gold Medal Act and thank my colleagues again for their bipartisan leadership on this bill.

During World War II, thousands of women joined the war effort at the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, California, now home to the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park, as part of the National Park System, where they produced over 700 ships, the most productive shipyards in history.

These brave and dedicated women broke barriers by taking jobs as riveters, welders, and electricians, forever changing the role of women in the workforce. They embodied the ``We Can Do It'' motto.

Among them is Betty Reid Soskin--a constituent, a friend, and a pillar of my local community--who is now the National Park Service's oldest serving ranger and works at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park at the age of 98.

She has been instrumental in educating thousands of visitors about the Rosies and sharing her experience as a young Black woman working on the home front.

I am so proud to have this important piece of history in my district, and I urge my colleagues to support this tribute to the Rosies' invaluable service to this country.

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