Mae Krier turned 100 earlier this month on National Rosie the Riveter Day
Credit: Courtesy Deb Woolson
NEED TO KNOW
- Mae Krier, one of the original Rosie the Riveters, recently turned 100 years old
- For years, Krier lobbied to establish National Rosie the Riveter Day and she even accepted the Congressional Medal in 2024
- Now Krier is supporting a young woman, Raya Kenney, who is trying to erect a monument to all the Rosies on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
At 100 years old, Mae Krier, a real-life "Rosie the Riveter," can still drive and cut her own lawn — and now she's fighting to help fund a monument dedicated to the thousands of women like her, who haven't gotten the recognition they deserve.
“I just felt that it wasn’t fair that they didn’t honor us women after World War II because the men couldn’t have done it had it not been for us women,” Krier tells PEOPLE about her decades of activism.
This can-do attitude has been driving Krier since her pioneer upbringing in North Dakota — and was sharpened during her career as a Boeing engineer building B-17 and B-29 bombers during World War II.
According to the National Park Service, the term "Rosie the Riveter" refers to a fictional factory worker, first introduced to the nation through the eponymous 1942 song, who was immortalized through J. Howard Miller’s iconic 1943 "We Can Do It!" poster.
Though fictional, Rosie, with her red and white polka dotted bandana, has become a feminist icon, and in real life, women who contributed to the home front efforts during the war have been dubbed Rosies themselves.
After the war was over, Krier moved to Pennsylvania, where her husband — who passed away in recent years — was from. Like many women in her generation, she raised two children and took care of the couple's home, but something nagged at her.
“The men got benefits, which they deserved, but there was never any mention about what us women did," she says, adding "and as the years went on, that aggravated me."
Krier set out to send handwritten letters — there were no computers at the time — to “anybody and everybody” who would listen to her, including her state and federal representatives. “I even kept in touch with the historian at Boeing,” she says.
This quiet yet diligent work continued for years, with Krier on the lobbying forefront as National Rosie the Riveter Day was ultimately established by Congress in 2017.
"You can't believe how many miles I walked the halls of Washington," Krier says of the effort, in which she worked closely with another Rosie, now deceased.
Now, the annual celebration lands on March 21, which is not only Krier's birthday, but the birthday of her fellow Rosie's mother.
Credit: Courtesy of Deb Woolson
Congress again recognized the Rosies by awarding them the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation’s highest civilian honors, in 2020.
Krier said accepting the medal four years later on behalf of her fellow Rosies was the most rewarding accomplishment of her career.
Another standout moment? Having her COVID-era home sewn Rosie-themed mask and scarf sent into space by her former employer, Boeing.
In the interceding years, with the help of her friend Deb Woolson, she’s built a dedicated online community through the Honor Rosie Facebook page. Additionally, the pair host a monthly podcast, "Breaking Barriers with Mae Krier."
Never one to slow down, Krier has now turned to attention to a new goal: erecting a national monument in D.C. to honor the women who contributed to the home front war efforts.
The project is the brainchild of 24 year old Raya Kenney, whom Krier calls her “new and shining star.”
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Kenney has long been enamored with the women who contributed to World War II efforts — and ended up connecting with Krier after writing her a letter in 2022. The two instantly clicked when they later met in person, with Krier lending her network and support to Kenney’s World War II Women’s Memorial Foundation.
Credit: BOEING
“She’s taking over where us Rosies are leaving off,” adds Krier.
Kenney first mocked up a design for the monument, inspired by the film A League of Their Own, as part of a fifth grade social studies project.
As someone who "grew up going to the memorials and the monuments," Kenney tells PEOPLE she chose that project because she "never really saw my story represented."
“It was really important to me to make sure that all young girls and young boys who come and visit the District as tourists can see that women were always part of history and they always will be," Kenney adds.
Credit: Courtesy of Deb Woolson
For her 100th birthday, Krier received over 500 cards — and intends to read them all — but she also asked for donations to the memorial foundation. With this push, the foundation received over $7,000 in donations, most of which Kenney says came in the mail via check and were accompanied by a handwritten note.
Krier has lent support in more indirect ways, too. Her friend and veteran advocate Dave Winters wrote a picture book about Krier, with half of the sales going towards the World War II Women’s Memorial Foundation.
To complete the monument, the foundation will need to raise $14 to $17 million, which accounts for the build plus perpetual National Park Service maintenance fees, Kenney says.
Credit: Courtesy Deb Woolson
Hopefully, Kenny says, the monument will get built in close proximity to the National Mall's World War II memorial —and a measure for that approval has already passed in the House.
But regardless of the monument’s final location or form, Kenney says she just can't wait to see it come to fruition.
“I watched all the veterans come and visit the Vietnam Wall and the World War II Memorial as I was growing up in D.C., and I would like nothing more than the Rosies to have that same opportunity,” she says.
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Krier, for her part, has shown no sign of slowing down. She even attended an equal pay rally at the Pennsylvania capitol as part of her birthday celebrations.
To other women who are after big goals, her advice is simple. “Just don't give up," she says. "If you've set your sights on something, go for it.”
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