We Can Do It

B y : J i m M c C o y , D i r e c t o r o f C o m m u n i c a t i o n s a n d J o h a n n a F u l l e r , R e s o u r c e S p e c i a l i s t , Pacific Historic Parks

When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, a pandemic on March 11, 2020, Pacific Historic Parks was ten days away from our “Celebrating the Spirit of Rosie the Riveter” event at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.

Rosie the Riveter is the symbol of female empowerment that came from the World War II era. She represents women who became the workforce in the munition factories and shipyards as most of the male workers went off to war following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The women of this time stepped in and helped to win the war in their own way – symbolizing the can-do spirit and roll up your sleeves work ethic.

The staff at Pacific Historic Parks strives to have that same can-do Rosie the Riveter spirit. We are doing our part in the battle to keep some normalcy of life to those who have been greatly affected by the silent enemy – COVID-19. Those of us in education, be it teachers or nonprofits; local small businesses, farmers, and grocery store clerks alike have been working on the Homefront while the nation’s medical staff and first responders have become our frontline soldiers.

Pacific Historic Parks staff has been rolling up our sleeves, flexing our arm muscles like Rosie the Riveter and pushing forward on the Homefront. We are engaging youth through social media and virtual platforms. More than 100 students signed up to participate in our Education Department’s first virtual History Talk – a series – where a survivor, civilian or military member talks about their experience on December 7th, 1941.

We engaged and connected with the public via social media in our recent National Encourage Young Writers Day and National Haiku Poem Day; where we encouraged young writers to create a Haiku poem about any of the six parks we support with the hope that young writers learn about any of our six parks and utilize poetry to gain new knowledge and explore our six Pacific parks online.

Pacific Historic Parks has launched an addition to History Talks called Fireside Chat, a virtual talk focusing on members of the Greatest Generation who, after surviving the 1918 flu pandemic and the Great Depression, helped save the world from tyranny. The chats include their memories of hard times, good times and their place in history. And we talk to them about this ongoing crisis as they are most vulnerable to COVID-19.

The virus is the most challenging crisis we have faced since World War II. We are fighting a silent and invisible enemy and just as Americans did some 75 years earlier, we too can do this. We can and we will work together for the betterment of future generations. Rosie the Riveter not only embodies the American Spirit, but also those of us within Pacific Historic Parks staff. Like many around the world, we have the can-do attitude and the rolling-up-your sleeves work ethic that will be needed to win this war. We applaud and salute all those who are coming together to support one another.

As Rosie the Riveter said, “We Can Do It!”

Following the World Health Organization’s declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, the National Park Service temporarily closed Pearl Harbor National Memorial on O‘ahu, Kalaupapa National Historical Park on Molokai, War in the Pacific National Historical Park on Guam, and American Memorial Park on Saipan. The Hawai‘i State Department of Land and Natural Resources temporarily closed Diamond Head State Monument.

“We are amid a global health emergency, and Pacific Historic Parks supports all steps to limit the potential of community spread of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus,” Aileen Utterdyke, Pacific Historic Parks CEO and President said in a statement.