22 Dec Betty Reid Soskin, Civil Rights Activist, Park Ranger and Beloved Richmond Elder, Dies at 104

Betty Reid Soskin, seen in 2018, died Sunday at the age of 104. (David Meza / CC Pulse file)

CC Pulse Staff Report

Betty Reid Soskin, a trailblazing civil rights activist, historian and longtime Richmond resident whose life spanned more than a century of American history, died this weekend at age 104.

Soskin was born Betty Charbonnet in 1921 in Detroit and spent her early childhood in New Orleans before moving to the Bay Area in 1927 and graduating from Oakland’s Castlemont High School.

She came of age during the Great Depression and World War II. During the war, she worked as a file clerk in a segregated boilermakers union, an experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to telling the full story of America’s past.

In the Bay Area, she became active in local politics, community organizing and music. With her then-husband Mel Reid, she co-owned Reid’s Records in Berkeley, one of the first Black-owned record stores in California.

Her activism extended into public service. Soskin worked in Berkeley city government and as a field representative for former California state Assemblymember Dion Aroner and state Sen. Loni Hancock.

Later in life, Soskin gained national recognition as a park ranger at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, a job she started at the age of 85. Well into her 90s, she led tours that challenged visitors to confront the realities of segregation and discrimination during the war years, centering the experiences of Black workers and women whose stories were often omitted from official narratives.

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She was known for boldly speaking about racism and exclusion of Black women, even when those truths were uncomfortable. “I want to be remembered as one who told the truth,” she said during her retirement ceremony at the Craneway Pavillion in 2022. Soskin was 100 when she retired.

In 2015, Soskin became the oldest active National Park Service ranger in the country. Even after stepping back from regular tours, she remained closely connected to the park and its mission, mentoring younger historians and continuing to write and speak publicly.

Soskin survived a violent assault during a robbery in her home in 2016, an experience she later described as transformative. “I learned I could take care of myself. I learned that I could survive, that I wasn’t a victim,” she told the Richmond Pulse at the time. She credited community support for her recovery, saying, “The support allowed me to reclaim my space.”

In 2018, her memoir, “Sign My Name to Freedom: A Memoir of a Pioneering Life,” was released, chronicling her long and rich life.

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She later survived a stroke in 2019, again returning to public life with resilience and clarity. Throughout her later years, she continued to remind audiences that progress requires honesty and sustained effort. She often spoke of the arc of history and reminded young people that democracy is something to be participated in and re-created by each generation.

In 2009, Soskin attended the first inauguration of President Barack Obama as a guest of then-Rep. George Miller, who represented Richmond in Congress. In his second term, Obama gave her a commemorative coin stamped with the presidential seal after she introduced him at a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony. That coin was one of the items stolen in the 2016 robbery, but the White House said at the time it would be replaced. When Soskin celebrated her 100th birthday on Sept. 23, 2021, Obama surprised her with a video message.

In Richmond, Soskin was more than a national figure. She was a treasured elder and a moral compass. In a city often marked by political bickering and infighting, she was admired by all. She was a living example of truth, wisdom and grace.

Betty Reid Soskin leaves behind a legacy rooted in truth-telling, courage and a passion for life. Her life stands as a reminder that history doesn’t live in the past. It is lived and carried forward by those willing to speak.

Soskin is survived by family members who include her son Robert, daughters Dorian and Diara, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Her family says that a public memorial will be announced. In the meantime, they encourage people to pay their respects by making a donation to support Betty Reid Soskin Middle School in El Sobrante or the completion of the documentary about her life, also called “Sign My Name to Freedom.”