FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 8, 2024
CONTACT: Raya Kenney
National Memorial to the Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation to Attend Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
RAYA KENNEY, CEO AND FOUNDER TO SPEAK AT THE RECEPTION TO HONOR
‘ROSIE THE RIVETERS’ WHO MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD WAR II EFFORT
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Memorial to the Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation (WHFNMF) will speak at the Congressional Gold Medal event honoring ‘Rosie the Riveters’ on April 10, 2024, in the U.S. Capital’s Emancipation Hall at 03:00 PM. The Rosies include the over 19 million courageous women who served as codebreakers, “fly girls,” aerodynamics engineers and more during World War II. The determination, resilience and strength of Rosies to maintain the homefront during World War II left a lasting legacy for women of every generation to come.
“I am honored to speak at the Congressional Gold Medal reception honoring amazing women like Mae Krier, who was one of the original Rosies’,” said Raya Kenney, CEO and Founder of the National Memorial to the Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation. “This recognition is long overdue. Rosie the Riveters have long cemented their legacy in American history. It is time to create a permanent landmark for the women who worked the home front, they paved the way for women all across the country.”
WHFNMF reached a milestone in October of 2022 with the passage of the Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act. The legislation will allow the memorial to be ideally located in the heart of Washington, D.C. While this is a landmark accomplishment, there is still more work to be done. WHFNMF is partnering with Boeing to continue work on the memorial. Boeing is providing funding for concept development and approvals for the memorial honoring the legacy of Rosies. Thousands of women went to work in Boeing factories during World War II doing work that was traditionally done by men including welding, riveting and engineering. They helped construct nearly 300,000 aircraft during the war. WHFNMF is proud to partner with Boeing to create this important recognition of their collective efforts during the war and lasting legacy of propelling women into STEM careers.
WHFNMF was founded by college student Raya Kenney, a Washington D.C. native. At the age of 10 years old, Kenney was inspired by the movie “A League of Their Own,” (1992), to create a memorial dedicated to honoring the women who served on the homefront. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to bring awareness around the tremendous impact of Rosie the Riveters'.
About the National Memorial to the Women Who Worked the Home Front Foundation
Among the primary goals of the National Memorial to the Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation is to increase awareness of the vital roles women played to support our country during trying times. The Women Who Worked on the Home Front WWII Memorial Act authorizes the Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation to build a commemorative work on federal land in Washington, D.C. to honor the women who worked on the home front during WWII.
For updates on the memorial, visit https://wwiiwomenmemorial.org/. Media inquiries should be directed to info@whfnmf.org or homefront@rokksolutions.com.