Photo by Luther Bailey/NPS
About Betty Reid Soskin
Betty Reid Soskin is a 98-year old African American national park ranger, the oldest in the National Park Service. Her authentic presentations at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park and elsewhere illuminate the invisible histories of African Americans and other people of color, from the days of her slave great-grandmother who was freed by Abraham Lincoln, through WWII and up to the present.
Betty is elegant and incisive in conveying hard truths to wide audiences and in telling a story about the value of American democracy, the realities of African American struggle and the importance of continuing progress, including encouraging others to tell their stories.
She has been celebrated and interviewed by hundreds of media and other groups, among them Anderson Cooper, the Commonwealth Club, Glamour Magazine, and the Moth.
Betty has also been honored with many awards, including the National Parks and Conservation Association’s Winks Award, and a Presidential medal given to her personally by President Barack Obama at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.
Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year - 2018
Read the story
Betty’s Thursday Chats
Join Betty for an informal virtual online chat most Thursdays. Betty will share her thoughts and insights and answer questions. The sessions are moderated by Ranger Armand Johnson, and may vary in length depending on how Betty is feeling.