Ruth S. Wilson
Ruth S. Wilson was born in Maryland in 1922 and grew up with her aunt and uncle in New Jersey after her parents passed away. Wilson now lives in Philadelphia, age 99, where she spent most of her life; including her formative years of World War II. At the beginning of WWII, Wilson’s husband was sent off to fight in the war which left Ruth alone with the couple’s two daughters. Wilson went to work at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia originally as a laundry worker but went to school to become a sheet metal worker, as instructed by the Navy Yard due to the desperate need for workers after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ruth Wilson became one of the 600,000 African American Rosie the Riveters or more specifically “Black Rosies” who joined the working class to help the WW2 effort. She worked at Philadelphia Navy Yard starting in 1942 until the very end of the war where she went on into other jobs outside of the military; as she refused to leave the workforce after leaving her life as a domestic.
Wilson specialized in building aircraft carriers; her more notable contribution being the USS Valley Forge which assisted the U.S. Navy in several critical missions during WWII and beyond.
“It was work that you were proud of,” -Ruth S. Wilson
“I must also acknowledge that while we were patriotic and went to work, Black Rosies were also fighting against racism, segregation and sexism right here.” – Ruth S. Wilson
Not only was Wilson a major contributor to the war effort, she along with other African American women in the workforce had a huge economic impact. Being apart of the new influx of women becoming employed, Wilson was one of many who had to fight the sexism, racism, and inequality that came with being a part of the working class in the 1940’s. She was a part of the movement that paved the way for future generations of Black women to have expanding job opportunities in the workforce; their devotion was also a source of growth for the Black middle class. She only recently realized how great her impact actually was in a recent interview with the local news where she visited the Philadelphia Navy Yard for the first time since she left in 1945.
Wilson’s interview with the local news
A documentary entitled Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II created by George Cooke, features Ruth Wilson as she talks about her experiences. https://www.invisiblewarriorsfilm.com/
Other quotes and sources
- https://queridaduncalfe.com/undaunted/ruth-s-wilson/
- https://www.history.com/news/black-rosie-the-riveters-wwii-homefront-great-migration
- https://www.inquirer.com/business/rosie-riveters-philly-navy-yard-shipyard-20210908.html
- https://southphillyreview.com/2021/09/15/local-rosie-honored-for-helping-win-the-war/
World War II Interviews 