Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park News Release 

For Immediate Release:  February 3, 2015
Event Date:  Saturday, February 28, 2015 at 10 AM
Contact: Lucien Sonder
Phone: (510) 232-5050 ext. 6622, lucien_sonder@nps.gov

Author Elizabeth Escobedo to Discuss the Lives of Mexican American Women on the World War Two Home Front

Elizabeth R. Escobedo, author of From Coveralls to Zoot Suits: The Lives of Mexican American Women on the World War II Home Front, will be speaking at the Visitor Education Center of Rosie the Riveter/WWI Home Front National Historical Park on Saturday February 28th.  The program runs from 10-11 AM, and seating is limited.  To reserve your seat, please call 610-232-5050 x6622 and leave your name and phone number, or email lucien_sonder@nps.gov.

During World War II, unprecedented employment avenues opened up for women and minorities in U.S. defense industries at the same time that massive population shifts and the war challenged Americans to rethink notions of race. At this extraordinary historical moment, Mexican American women found new means to exercise control over their lives in the home, workplace, and nation.

Escobedo, associate professor of history at the University of Denver, explores how, as war workers and volunteers, dance hostesses and zoot suiters, respectable young ladies and rebellious daughters, these young women used wartime conditions to serve the United States in its time of need and to pursue their own desires.  

But even after the war, as Escobedo shows, Mexican American women had to continue challenging workplace inequities and confronting family and communal resistance to their broadening public presence.  Highlighting seldom heard voices of the "Greatest Generation," Escobedo examines these contradictions within Mexican families and their communities, exploring the impact of youth culture, outside employment, and family relations on the lives of women whose home-front experiences and everyday life choices would fundamentally alter the history of a generation.

Also showing on February 28th at 11 AM, 12 PM and 1 PM at the Visitor Education Center is the documentary film, “Valentia: Mexican Americans in WWII.”  Mexican American veterans from all branches of our armed forces, as well as civilians, from Texas, Arizona, and California share their stories in this 30-minute documentary.  Additionally, the program highlights key experts and historians, including Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez of the University of Texas at Austin, who with her staff, have interviewed hundreds of World War II veterans to ensure their contributions will not be forgotten.

The Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center is open seven days a week from 10 AM to 5 PM and is located at 1414 Harbour Way South, suite 3000, Richmond, CA 94804. For more information and directions to the Visitor Education Center, please call (510) 232-5050 x0 or visit to http://www.nps.gov/rori/planyourvisit/directions.htm. Admission to the Visitor Center and all park sites and programs is free. 

If you would like to receive information about upcoming park events, visit www.rosietheriveter.org and sign up for the email newsletter. The Rosie the Riveter Trust is the nonprofit association that is building a community of support for this national park.