ROCHESTER, N.Y. — For people around the world, it’s crucial to pass on the accounts of those who fought and died during World War II. 

But one of the United States' stories during the war effort was often overlooked. One school in Rochester is bringing to the forefront the contributions made by Black women during the war.  

You may know of Rosie the Riveter — the former housewife turned into a war hero. She's a cultural icon in the United States who represents the women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II. However, what Rosie's image doesn’t convey is the diversity of that workforce, with half a million "Black Rosies" who worked alongside their white counterparts.

“Not only did they step up, but they stepped up at a time where there were barriers for women and of course, for African American women and people as a whole due to segregation and racial inequity,” Edison Tech principal LaCassa D. Felton said. “So that proves that they were really Americans that love their country and that were willing to fight on the home front in the capacity that they were able to.”

Fighting both the foreign enemy abroad and the familiar enemy of racism at home, for decades, Black Rosies have received little historical recognition or acknowledgment. That is until a recent unveiling at Edison Career and Technology High School.

“A lot of people are not familiar with Black Rosies and they were unsung heroines,” Felton said. “And so for Edison Tech to be on the cutting edge of recognizing the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. And the project, this is the first of many.”

Students from Edison's Construction Pathway created a mosaic mural, honoring the contributions of African American female workers during the war. 

“It was really inspiring,” 11th-grade student Angela Vazquez said. “I didn't know nothing of it. So it was very new to me. It looks so much better than on the wall than on the table, [it's] so much bigger. And we did a really good job. It looks just like the picture we imagined. It's wonderful. It's a beautiful mural.”

Black Rosies paved the way for women to enter jobs in the industry and government. Now their stories have inspired others to continue to do the same.

“The big thing that we are implementing in the classrooms is across the school we are trying to focus on Rosies in all the classrooms, English, math, social studies and science, but especially with our female construction students, to see the struggles that women went through and that they too will go through struggles, but they can be successful just like their former counterparts were,” machine shop teacher Dan Collins said.

“Women’s Memorial Hall" is a newly designated space at the school, the mural is the first piece of art to be on display, and staff shares that it will definitely not be the last.

“Most people are visual, right?” Felton said. “So you can hear a story. But to actually see the mural and to see Rosie. [It's] such a powerful statement, showing her strength. She has the beautiful afro and then she has the signature bow. I think that is going to inspire women and men alike to go after their dreams.”