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Podcast

Richmond and the WWII Home Front: Interpreting a City in Wartime

Welcome to Richmond and the WWII Home Front: Interpreting a City in Wartime. This audio series offers interpretive experiences that bring Richmond’s wartime past to life—through voice, music, and sound. Explore the labor, lives, and pivotal moments that shaped a city—and a nation—during World War II.

Episodes

Episode 1

Why Richmond, California?

Transcript

Welcome to the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, which was established in the year 2000. Richmond, California was chosen as the site for this National Historical Park because it has so many surviving sites and structures from the World War II years that can help tell the diverse stories of the home front. These stories include the mobilization of America’s industry and the changes in production techniques; the struggle for women’s and minority rights; the labor movement; the growth of pre-paid medical care; advances in early childhood education and day care; recycling and rationing; major shifts in population; and changes in arts and culture.

Richmond played a significant and nationally recognized part in the World War II home front. The four Richmond shipyards produced 747 ships, more than any other shipyard complex in the country. Richmond was also home to over 56 different war industries, more than any other city of its size in the United States. The city grew from less than 24,000 people in 1940 to over 100,000 people by 1943, overwhelming the available housing, roads, schools, businesses, and community services. At the same time, Executive Order 9066 forcibly removed Japanese and Japanese American residents from the area, disrupting Richmond’s thriving cut-flower industry. The war truly touched every aspect of civilian life on the home front. Through historic structures, museum collections, interpretive exhibits, and programs, the park tells the diverse and fascinating story of the WWII home front.

This is one of a handful of national parks that does not own any land. Instead, the park consists of a collection of historic sites protected through community partnerships. Many of these historic sites remain over a half-century later and have been protected to help tell the story of the wide-ranging civilian, industrial, and governmental efforts that supported the nation during WWII.

This narrated introduction sets the stage for the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front audio series. Learn why Richmond, California became the site of this unique national park, and explore the powerful stories of industry, resilience, and social change that shaped America’s World War II home front.

Produced by Luther Bailey and narrated by Lauren Goode.

Episode 2

The WWII Home Front

Transcript

On the morning of December 7, 1941, military forces of the Empire of Japan attacked the United States Naval Fleet and ground bases at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. On December 8, 1941, one day after the "Day of Infamy," the United States declared war against the Empire of Japan and on December 11, 1941, Japan's ally, Germany, declared war on the United States. Ten million Americans, mostly young working age men, would serve in the military during WWII, out of an overall United States population of 113 million. While an unprecedented number of young men would serve in World War II, the country would drastically increase its war production on the Home Front, serving not only the needs of the armed forces of the United States but her allies as well - what President Franklin Roosevelt called "The Arsenal of Democracy." The combination of so many serving in the military, during a period of necessary and drastic increases in production, led to unprecedented social changes on the American Home Front. During World War II six million women entered the workforce. "Rosie the Riveter" and her "We Can Do It" motto came to symbolize all women Home Front workers. A shortage of white male workers led to active recruitment, by the United States Government, to war industry jobs. Initially white middle class women were recruited, followed by minority men, and finally minority women. Integration of women and minorities into the workforce was initially met with resistance, however, the new opportunities for women and minorities "cracked open" the door to equal rights and would have profound impacts on the Civil Rights Movement and Women's Movement during the following decades.

The World War II period resulted in the largest number of people migrating within the United States, in the history of the country. Individuals and families relocated to industrial centers for good paying war jobs, and out of a sense of patriotic duty. Many industrial centers became "boom towns", growing at phenomenal rates. One example, the City of Richmond, California, grew from a population of under 24,000 to over 100,000 during the war. Workers from around the nation had to intermingle with each other, overcome differences, and form a cohesive identity in order to meet war demands. Following World War II, many migrants decided to stay in their new homes, forever changing the cultural landscape of the United States.

Home Front workers faced many challenges and many of which would lead to change. Working conditions on the Home Front were difficult and dangerous. Between the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 and the D-Day Invasion of Europe in June of 1944, there were more Home Front industrial casualties than military casualties. This high number of industrial casualties would lead to improved workplace safety and regulations, as well as better access to affordable health care. Another challenge faced by working women on the Home Front was childcare, as mothers comprised a significant portion of the work force. This led to the establishment of child development centers and the professional field of early childhood development.

In addition to Home Front workers, everyone was expected to be an active participant in the war effort. Rationing was a way of life as twenty commodities were rationed and people were asked to, "Use it up –Wear it out –Make it do –or Do without." Materials vital to the war effort were collected, often by youth groups, and recycled. Many Americans supported the war effort by purchasing war bonds. Women replaced men in sports leagues, orchestras, and community institutions. Americans grew 60% of the produce they consumed in "Victory Gardens". The war effort on the United States Home Front was a total effort.

This narrated episode explores how World War II transformed life on the American home front. From workforce shifts and mass migration to childcare, rationing, and the rise of “Rosie the Riveter,” discover how everyday Americans powered the war effort and helped shape lasting social change.

Produced by Luther Bailey and narrated by Rob Milton/Jess Fisher/Jenyoko/Amy W.

Episode 3

The Richmond Shipyards

Transcript

The Richmond Shipyard complex consisted of four yards constructed for the Henry J. Kaiser company in 1941 and 1942. As you drive to the SS Red Oak Victory, you will see the remaining historic buildings of WWII Shipyard No. 3. These include the cafeteria, first aid station, forge, machine shop, warehouse, and paint shop. You will be able to also get a glimpse of the 5 dry docks where the ships were assembled. Henry Kaiser applied mass assembly line techniques to buildings the ships. This production line technique, bringing pre-made parts together and moving them into place with huge cranes and having them welded together by "Rosies" allowed unskilled laborers to do repetitive jobs requiring relatively little training to accomplish. This not only increased the speed of construction but also opened up jobs to women and people of color. Shipyard No. 3 is one of the locations where this concept of new opportunities thrived. The Kaiser Richmond Shipyards were immense, covering around 880 acres, and became the largest wartime shipyards on the West Coast. They were also the town's biggest employer, recruiting thousands of workers from across the country.

Richmond shipyards built 747 ships, including 519 Liberty Ships, which represented almost a quarter of the total U.S. Liberty Ship production. New methods of ship construction were developed and perfected in these shipyards, including prefabrication and intense labor specialization, which allowed the production of new vessels at a record pace.

This narrated episode takes you to Richmond’s historic Shipyard No. 3, where Henry Kaiser’s innovative assembly-line techniques revolutionized shipbuilding during World War II. Learn how these shipyards produced hundreds of vessels at record speed, opened new job opportunities for women and people of color, and became the backbone of the West Coast’s wartime industry.

Produced by Luther Bailey and narrated by Rob Milton and Lauren Goode.

Episode 4

Rosie the Riveter in Richmond

Transcript

"Rosie the Riveter" was a popular song of the time that encouraged women and men to embrace women joining the workforce. The nickname "Rosie the Riveter" referred to women who worked to support the nation's war efforts. The patriotic images depicting Rosie the Riveter in posters and popular culture became iconic, symbolizing women's empowerment in the workforce. As men enlisted in the military during WWII and growing wartime industries sought more workers, many employers began to recruit women and people of color for the first time. Women began to replace men in jobs that were previously reserved for men only.

American civilians in the wartime boom town of Richmond included the real-life “Rosies” and others who toiled in factories and shipyards.

Across the country, around 6 million women entered the workforce during this time, making up nearly 1/3 of the country's workers by 1944.

This narrated episode explores the story behind “Rosie the Riveter” and how she became a symbol of women’s empowerment during World War II. Learn how millions of women—many for the first time—entered the workforce, reshaping American industry and society on the home front.

Produced by Luther Bailey and narrated by Christine Cholloway

Episode 5

Opportunities and Inequities in the Workforce

Transcript

As women began to be employed at higher rates than ever before, the number of African American workers in industry tripled. Over 1.2 million southern African American workers migrated north and west seeking industrial defense jobs, with around 340,000 relocating to California. However, they still often faced significant discrimination and racism. The average weekly wage for factory worker men was $55 while women made $31. Industries instated skill classifications that channeled women and people of color into the lowest paying jobs.

While unions fought for better working conditions and wages for those employed in shipyards, they excluded people of color. Black workers were forced to start their own auxiliary unions which were controlled by the white local unions. Members of the African American unions were offered little to no representation and did not receive the same benefits.

Betty Reid Soskin, previously a famous park ranger at Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, grew up in Oakland and worked in the Kaiser shipyards during WWII as a file clerk for Boilermakers local A-36, an all-Black auxiliary lodge. Soskin became the oldest ranger in the National Park Service at the age of 85 and continues to tell her story about the realities of living and working as a Black woman, in the Richmond home front.

This narrated episode highlights the experiences of African American workers on the WWII home front. As thousands migrated west for defense jobs, they faced racism, discrimination, and unequal pay—even while helping fuel wartime industry. Hear about segregated unions, unequal opportunities, and the powerful story of Betty Reid Soskin, who gave voice to this often-overlooked chapter of history.

Produced by Luther Bailey and narrated by Maci Roberts

Episode 6

Migration, Housing and Relocation

Transcript

As thousands of workers streamed into Richmond, both public and private entities struggled to keep the city’s burgeoning population housed, healthy, and highly productive. The huge explosion of workers coming to live in Richmond caused intense strain on city infrastructure. One of these strains was a severe lack of housing. Workers arriving in these rapidly expanding urban centers were forced to live where they could. Most defense housing was in large anonymous barrack-type apartment buildings, or single-sex dormitories. Even these modest quarters were treasured since the housing shortage led many workers to live in tents, boats, and cars, and share “hot beds” on a rotating 8-hour schedule.

By the end of World War II, Richmond would maintain the largest federal housing program in the nation. More than 21,000 public housing units were constructed in the city by 1943, providing housing for more than 60% of Richmond’s total population.

During these years, 20 federal-funded housing developments were built in Richmond to house the rapidly growing population. Among the first were the well-designed complexes like Atchison and Nystrom Villages which were close to the shipyards.

However, the Richmond Housing Authority instated segregated housing policies which meant that these housing complexes were only available to white upper-level workers and management. Many Black migrants settled in North Richmond, which was an unincorporated area. To combat the discrimination they faced, African Americans established a local chapter of the NAACP in Richmond in 1944.

This episode explores how Richmond raced to house its booming wartime workforce—through sprawling federal housing projects, makeshift shelters, and deeply unequal policies that shaped the city’s landscape for decades to come.

Produced by Luther Bailey and narrated by Rob Milton and Lauren Goode.

Episode 7

Incarceration of Japanese Americans

Transcript

War kindled fear and long-held prejudices, and America's own citizens became suspect. In 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 and transferred 120,000 people of Japanese descent to internment camps. Around 70,000 were U.S. citizens. Immigrants from Japan and Italy who had lived in Richmond for decades were labeled "enemy aliens." Italian American families were split in two: non-citizens were forced away from the Richmond waterfront, while others could stay. Japanese Americans in Richmond faced much harsher treatment. They were forced to leave behind their homes and businesses and taken to prison camps, where they were imprisoned behind barbed wire until 1945. After compulsory registration in April of 1942, Richmond’s Japanese American families were forced to move to Tanforan Assembly Center, south of San Francisco, a hastily converted horse racetrack. Most were then sent on to Topaz Relocation Center in a desolate area of the Utah desert. All faced the extreme hardship of being uprooted, and of quickly finding strategies for maintaining, or disposing of, their homes, property, and businesses.

This episode looks at how fear and prejudice reshaped lives on the Richmond home front. In the wake of Executive Order 9066, Japanese American families were forced from their homes and communities—labeled enemies in their own country. As neighbors vanished behind barbed wire and Italian immigrants faced forced removals, wartime suspicion left deep scars that would last long after the war was over.

Produced by Luther Bailey and narrated by Christine Cholloway.

Episode 8

Healthcare, Childcare & Education

Transcript

Wartime demands had inspired new approaches to social needs. The Kaiser shipyards supported, to an unprecedented level, social programs in healthcare and childcare for employees and their families. Affordable housing and childcare centers sprang up around Richmond's shipyards. Kaiser founded one of the nation's first voluntary, pre-paid medical plans, now Kaiser Permanente, to keep shipyard workers healthy. In 1942, Kaiser started the Permanente Health Plan for its shipyard workers in Richmond and Vanport, Oregon. They instituted a three-tier medical care system consisting of first-aid stations in the shipyards, a field hospital, and a main hospital. This health system and its availability on a prepaid basis to workers, represented a visionary innovation at the time and laid the groundwork for the present-day Kaiser Permanente health system.

Federal funds helped to establish approximately 35 childcare centers of varying sizes in Richmond to provide preschool childcare for women working in the shipyards. At its peak, with roughly 24,500 women on the Kaiser payroll, Richmond’s citywide childcare program maintained a total daily attendance of approximately 1,400 preschool children. In some locations, the program provided 24-hour care for children whose mothers worked the night shift and included well-balanced hot meals, health care, and optional family counseling.

Those innovations were models for social progress, a glimpse of what could be achieved in time of crisis, and a motivation to accomplish more in time of peace.

This episode highlights how wartime urgency sparked bold innovations in healthcare and childcare. In Richmond, the Kaiser shipyards didn’t just build ships—they built support systems. From groundbreaking medical plans to a citywide childcare network, these programs reshaped what was possible for working families and left a legacy that still shapes our lives today.

Produced by Luther Bailey and narrated by Lauren Good and Rob Milton

Episode 9

The Ford Assembly Plant

Transcript

Out of the three wartime tank depots in the United States, the Ford Assembly Building is the only surviving structure. The Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant in Richmond, California, was the largest assembly plant to be built on the West Coast and its conversion to wartime production during World War II aided the Nation's war effort.

The 500,000-square-foot Ford Assembly Building was built in 1931 to produce the new Ford Model A. The factory was a major stimulant to the local and regional economy during the Great Depression and was an important development in Richmond's inner harbor and port plan. Ford became Richmond's third largest employer, behind Standard Oil and the Santa Fe Railroad. It is also an outstanding example of 20th-century industrial architecture designed by architect Albert Kahn, known for his "daylight factory" design, which employed extensive window openings that became his trademark. The main building is comprised of a two-story section, a single-story section, a craneway, a boiler house and a shed canopy structure over the railroad track.

To ensure that America prepared for total war by mobilizing all the industrial might of the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt banned the production of civilian automobiles during WWII. The Richmond Ford Assembly Plant switched to assembling jeeps and to putting the finishing touches on tanks, half-tracked armored personnel carriers, armored cars and other military vehicles destined for the Pacific Theater. By July of 1942, military combat vehicles began flowing into the Richmond Ford plant to get final processing before being transported out the deep-water channel to the war zones.

The Ford Assembly Plant assembled 49,000 jeeps, but it's "claim to fame" was becoming one of only three tank depots in the entire United States. Every combat vehicle used in WWII was processed by one of these three depots. Here the finishing touches were put on 91,000 tanks, half-tracks, armored cars, and other military vehicles destined for combat. This Assembly Plant was one cog in that mobilization of the "Arsenal of Democracy" and a historical part of what is today's industrial culture of the United States.

The "Richmond Tank Depot" as the Ford plant was then called, helped keep American fighting men supplied with up-to-the-minute improvements in their battle equipment. In mobilizing the wartime production effort to its full potential, Federal military authorities and private industry began to work closely together on a scale never seen before in American history. This laid the groundwork for what became known as the "Military Industrial Complex" during the Cold War years.

After the war, the devastation to the local economy as a result of the closing of the Kaiser shipyards would have been crippling had it not been for the continued production of the Ford Plant. The last Ford was assembled in February 1953, with the plant being closed in 1956 because of the inability to accommodate increased productivity demands. In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake severely damaged the plant. The City of Richmond repaired and prepared the Ford Assembly Plant for use. Title to the building was then passed to Orton Development and most of the building is now leased to various businesses.

This episode explores the story of the Ford Assembly Building in Richmond—once a symbol of industrial innovation, and later a vital cog in America’s wartime machine. As one of only three tank depots in the country during World War II, this massive factory helped supply thousands of combat vehicles for the Pacific Theater—and today, it stands as the only surviving structure of its kind.

Produced by Luther Bailey and narrated by Rob Milton and Lauren Goode.

Episode 10

The SS Red Oak Victory Ship

Transcript

The SS Red Oak Victory is a surviving wartime ship that was built in the Richmond Shipyards and launched in November 1944. It is now a museum and monument to the men and women who built a record-breaking 747 ships at the Richmond Kaiser Shipyards. During World War II, she carried ammunition for ships in the South Pacific, supporting operations in Okinawa and in the Philippines, finally returning home to the United States in May of 1946. She went on to serve for the next 21 years in the Caribbean Sea, the Indian Ocean, and in the Korean War and Vietnam War.

Here’s some additional in-depth information about the history of this historic ship, courtesy of the Richmond Museum Association, who owns, and through the hard work of volunteers, operates this amazing piece of history.

After final outfitting, USS Red Oak Victory (AK-235) was commissioned on December 5, 1944, as a US Navy vessel. Only a very few Victory ships became Navy commissioned vessels, and they were designated as either AK (auxiliary cargo ships) or AT (attack transports). The USS Red Oak Victory, as an AK, carried ammunition to supply the needs of the Pacific Fleet in World War II.

In January 1945, USS Red Oak Victory under command of Lieutenant Commander John S. Sayers, USNR, with a crew of 13 officers and 91 enlisted men sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge to war service in the Pacific Theater of Operations. She would not return to the United States for 18 months.

The Red Oak Victory took on a cargo of ammunition for fleet issue at Pearl Harbor and from there sailed to Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands of the Western Pacific. Being located just 1300 miles South of Tokyo, Ulithi was the ideal forward supply base for the US Navy’s final operations of the war. Beginning in April 1945 the USS Red Oak Victory issued ammunition for the invasion of Okinawa from this base. In May she sailed to Leyte Gulf where she supported operations in the Philippines until the war ended in August of that year.

The USS Red Oak Victory made her final cruise as a Navy vessel back to the United States in May 1946 where she was turned over to the US Maritime Commission and re-designated as SS Red Oak Victory. Under Merchant Marine command she served for the next 21 years in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and in Korean War service. SS Red Oak Victory’s final thirteen voyages were to Vietnam from 1965 through 1968 where she was one of 100 World War II Victory ships used by the Military Sealift Command to support operations in Southeast Asia.

In January 1970 SS Red Oak Victory was transferred to the Ready Reserve (or ‘mothball’), Fleet in Suisun Bay (California), where she remained until moved as a museum ship to her present location in 1998. After accumulating a proud record of service for nearly 25 years as both a military and civilian vessel, in war and in peace, today the SS Red Oak Victory entertains and educates visitors from all over the world. She stands as a memorial to the workers and sailors who not only delivered the goods but delivered the victory in the Second World War.

The SS Red Oak Victory is also one of the last surviving World War II Victory ships. These ships, along with their cousins the Liberty ships, were built on an emergency basis to carry vital supplies and troops to all theaters of war. The Victory ships remain today as a symbol of the national resolve and industrial might that won the Second World War.

In addition to this National Park Service driving tour and exploring our Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center, make sure you take the time to visit The Richmond Museum of History & Culture, which is the most significant local history museum in West Contra Costa County. The museum is housed in a Carnegie Library built in 1910, that boasts a permanent exhibit gallery and a space for temporary exhibits and special events. The Museum draws from their extensive permanent collection of artifacts, photographs, and documents to host educational programs and exhibitions for the benefit of the public. The museum has had a presence in Richmond, California for over sixty years and is proud to be a cornerstone of the community.

This episode tells the story of the SS Red Oak Victory—one of the last surviving World War II Victory ships and a powerful symbol of Richmond’s wartime legacy. Built in the Kaiser Shipyards and launched in 1944, the Red Oak Victory carried ammunition across the Pacific, served in multiple wars, and now stands as a floating museum honoring the workers and sailors who helped deliver victory.

Produced by Luther Bailey and narrated by Lauren Goode.

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