With a badge, a uniform and the iconic Smoky Bear hat, Betty Reid Soskin was welcomed to the ranger staff of the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park by Superintendent Martha J. Lee.  As you will read, there are many aspect of Betty that are unique, but first and foremost—and to quote Betty—she is a "living artifact of the World War II Home Front." For those of you who have heard Betty's narration on the DVD "Of Lost Conversations and Untold Stories African Americans in WWII Richmond” which she also wrote, you already know that Betty worked in a segregated union hall in Richmond, California, during the war, where she filed the paperwork for African Americans working in the shipyards.

In the decades that followed, Betty went on to have several careers including her most recent work (not counting her work with the NPS) as a field representative in West Contra Costa County for Assemblywomen Dion Aroner and Loni Hancock, both of the 14th District. Betty has served on a number of local boards including the Richmond Arts Commission, the Richmond Main Street Initiative, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, and Zaccho Dance Theatre to name a few.

In 2006, Betty was named one of ten national Women of the Year—Builders of Communities and Dreams by the National Women’s History Project. She was recognized that same year as a Woman of the Year by Contra Costa College. She was featured in the Smithsonian Institution’s production Wade in the Water, an NPR All Things Considered series covering the history of Black gospel music as it rose to prominence on the Pacific Coast. She has also been recognized for her “blog” (Cbreaux Speaks) in Newsweek, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Washington Post.

Betty has been spearheading the outreach efforts in Richmond for the national park and she has been working for the past couple of years under the auspices of the grant that the NPS obtained from PG&E through the National Park Foundation to reach into the African American community. Superintendent Lee notes, “We are delighted to finally have her on our staff in a term position — and so pleased that she will now be representing the NPS in Richmond in uniform!”

For additional information, contact:

Martha J. Lee

General Superintendent

John Muir NHS, Eugene O'Neill NHS, Port Chicago Naval Magazine NM and

Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front NHP

1401 Marina Way South, Richmond, CA 94804

Phone: (510) 232-1545

Fax: (510) 232-5504