It’s clear. Americans need to pull together. We’ve heard it from elected leaders, media pundits, book authors, Ted-Talkers, and worried citizens for years now.
But is anyone doing anything to unite Americans? Well . . , yes. It’s called The American Rosie Movement™. And it’s so different from other social movements that, sometimes, people don’t see its power at first. But when they do, they are relieved, proud, and involved.
What is the American Rosie Movement™?
ARM gets people to pull together to do small projects that fit into something bigger. Our spiritual leaders are Rosie the Riveters – women who worked on the home front during World War II to supply our troops. They made food, equipment, armaments, clothing, ships, airplanes, medical supplies – the list is endless.
They’re often called Rosie the Riveters. They like to be called Rosies since most were not riveters. The youngest are now 94 years old.
Examples of projects that Thanks! Plain and Simple™ (“Thanks!”) has completed are: naming schoolrooms, buildings and Interstate bridges for Rosies, creating lesson plans for schools, creating or performing Rosie music, planting dogwood trees, installing bluebird nest boxes, creating posters and flyers, holding events, interviewing and transcribing Rosies, showing Rosie films and video of Rosies and of the American Rosie Movement™.
pull together to use our freedom wisely
How is ARM different from other social movements?
The American Rosie Movement™ is fun and positive. People don’t wait for government. Instead, they do something that connects to others. For example, people:
- Are relieved to realize they can create something for the movement without blaming
- Are inspired when they work with many kinds of people and places to create something that fits into larger effort.
- Build, not blame – the mood is positive not protesting.
- Learn by doing, then they teach others what they have done.
- Realize that you need not be rich, famous or glamourous to be needed.
- Feel their work has meaning when they learn Rosies’ fascinating stories and they help fulfill Rosies’ wish for people to pull together to do quality work for freedom
People like to meet the standards that Rosies met during World War II, which was to pull together to do quality work in a cooperative spirit.
Model People and Places to Follow:
Cities that we are giving awards for at least five years of work to help us prepare for the American Rosie Movement™ are: Washington, DC; Huntington, WV; Brunswick, MD; Camden, SC; Philadelphia, PA and Nijmegen, MD. We plan to add Philadelphia
People we have given awards for five years of excellent work are: Tim Wilson, MD; Jay Wertz, CA; Jewell Matthews, WV; Pamela McCoy, WV; Col. Ceryl Johns, SC.
Summary:
Based on 15 years of solid preparation and successes, “Thanks!” is sure that a quieter project-centered movement is pulling people together. There is every reason to believe that our process will continue to unify people into the future.
Early on, we realized that people must participate to keep the true Rosie Legacy™ alive. Interviewing Rosies was not enough, so we included many people in 20 projects that Rosies chose to represent them.
It’s exciting that people are unifying and contributing their own ideas. Indeed, it’s a new kind of social movement because people rise above the blaming that divide us today.
The value of our work is far more than its financial worth – it improves communities, confidence in the abilities of “the people”, know-how and show how to train others, and ways for people to connect.
ARM is headquartered in West Virginia, where its founder, the daughter of a Rosie, hopes to keep managing the movement, She has always believed that the unity that she saw when she was a child during the war is possible again, despite changes in society over the last 80 years.
What One Rosie and One World War II Veteran have said:
Nancy Sipple, inspector of airplane engine parts in Cincinnati said:
“We pulled together then. We can do it again. It’s our only hope.”
“Woody” Williams, a famous Medal of Honor Recipient said:
“We did it together!”