Posts Tagged ‘world war II’
Richmond residents commemorate anniversary of Japanese American incarceration order
Executive Order 9066, which cleared the way for the incarceration (or “internment”) of Japanese Americans during World War II, may have been signed 75 years ago, but Flora Ninomiya sees eerie parallels with the modern world. “It’s important for you to understand that we have a president today who is issuing executive orders against Muslims,…
Read MoreRichmond’s Living Legends
“Rosie the Riveter” is the iconic symbol of female independence and strength, celebrating the female workers who played a pivotal role in World War II shipbuilding. The museum, operated by the National Park Service, features photographs, films and educational exhibits all about the welders and other skilled trades taken up by women after the men went off to war duty.
Morrison was one of the “Rosies,” and they are still contributing. Now, they tell first-hand accounts of working at the shipyards just a few yards away.
Read MoreThe historical uniqueness of a city in transformation
Richmond is a record breaker. Known for many years to host the largest oil refinery in the country and as the most productive World War II shipyard, Richmond also once hosted the biggest winery in the world. The city’s historical legacy has been recognized in some respects. The transformation of a 1930s Ford assembly plant, a beacon of the industrial age, into a conference center and museum complex is one example. However, there are still some major historic assets in Richmond standing idle — or even crumbling into disrepair.
Read MoreColorado professor comes to Richmond to discuss the lives of Mexican American women during World War II
Roughly 40 people filled up the theater at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park’s visitor center on Saturday morning to meet Elizabeth Escobedo, author of From Coverall to Zoot Suits: The Lives of Mexican American Women on the World War II Home Front. The author and associate professor of history at the…
Read MoreRetrospective: Archives show difficult road for Richmond middle class
As Richmond prepared to enter the 1960s, the city was about to encounter an era of rapid change. In November of 1959, readers opened the pages of the city’s daily newspaper, the Richmond Independent, to be confronted with Thanksgiving sales and headlines about next fall’s presidential race (“State GOP Supports Nixon”). The advertisements reflected an…
Read MorePopular ranger draws crowds to Richmond national park
Richmond’s Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park has been doing brisk business thanks to one of its employee’s international exposure during the 16-day shutdown of the federal government. Visitors are coming to see Betty Reid Soskin, the 92-year-old park ranger that has become an international celebrity. During the federal shutdown, Soskin…
Read MoreNational Parks Service highlights push for universal childcare after WWII
It was August, 1945. In Europe, the Second World War had barely ended; in Asia, the peace was less than a month old. But already the U.S. government was making plans to demobilize the unprecedented war effort it had assembled over the previous half-decade. That month, the government announced plans to shut down the system…
Read MoreVolunteers work to restore historic war ship built in Richmond
The SS Red Oak Victory has a long history of carrying cargo. After being commissioned in 1944, it transported ammunition during three wars. The Richmond Museum Association took ownership of the vessel in 1998, and now the ship is being restored in the same port where she was built: the Richmond Kaiser Shipyards. A group of…
Read MoreRichmond Museum Association President Lois Boyle steps down after 30 years
After 30 years as the President of the Richmond Museum Association, Lois Boyle is retiring—sort of. “I’ll be 80 this year,” Boyle said, eyes shining as she reclined back in a felt chair in her office. Her office these days is a small, bare room on a historic battleship—the SS Red Oak Victory Ship. To get…
Read MoreRichmond National Park visitor center to open Saturday
Since it was established in 2000, the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park has been a local gem that preserves the city’s legacy as a booming shipping hub during the war years. But the sites are spread throughout the city, and the park has lacked a central location where visitors can start their…
Read MoreCrews continue cleaning oil from sunken tugboat
Responders are still cleaning oil leaking from the Tug Tiger, a World War II-era tugboat that sunk on Sunday in the Point Richmond harbor. Although there is no estimate of how much oil was onboard the Tiger, the Coast Guard reported that 590 gallons of oil and water were collected as of Wednesday. Thousands of…
Read MorePart 2: North Richmond’s inauspicious beginnings
The North Richmond of today emerges from a history marked by bad reputation, bad luck and, often, bad intentions.
Read MoreRosie the Riveter takes to the stage
Local actors portray the struggles of the women who worked on the home front.
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