Richmond, CA — Betty Leon Charbonnet Reid Soskin, born September 22, 1921, passed away on December 21, 2025, at her home in Richmond, California.
Betty was hired by the National Park Service (NPS) as a park ranger at the age of 85 and served until her retirement at 100 in 2022.
Throughout her remarkable life, Betty was a mother, daughter, musician, author, political activist, wife, record store owner, songwriter, painter, grandmother, great-grandmother, prolific blogger, and more.
Her many honors include:
- A school in El Sobrante, CA renamed in her honor as Betty Reid Soskin Middle School
- Being named Woman of the Year by the California State Legislature in 1995
- Receiving the National WWII Museum’s Silver Service Medallion in 2016
When actor Andie MacDowell presented Betty with a Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year Award in 2018, she said:
“Betty is posted at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, where she reminds audiences that, ‘What gets remembered depends on who is in the room doing the remembering.’ So Betty remembers and educates on behalf of generations of women of color and other marginalized communities, sharing forgotten stories that span from Dred Scott to Black Lives Matter.”
In 2009, Betty attended President Barack Obama’s inauguration carrying a photo of her great-grandmother, who was born into slavery. In 2015, she introduced President Obama at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.
Her life is chronicled in the documentary No Time to Waste, produced by the Rosie the Riveter Trust. She authored the memoir Sign My Name to Freedom, based on her blog CBreaux Speaks, which she began in 2003. The title also inspired a song she wrote and a musical play, featuring her original songs, written by Michael Gene Sullivan and staged by the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Company in 2022. A film about her original songs, also titled Sign My Name to Freedom, is scheduled for release in 2026.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Betty’s family returned to New Orleans after her grandfather’s death, where her father resumed his millwright business.
Betty raised four children, Rick, Bob, Diara, and Dorian Reid in a home she and her husband, Mel Reid, built on property they purchased in Walnut Creek, CA. The family were early Black residents of the area, and experienced overt objections to their presence, as well as encouragement from determined individuals who gave their support.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Betty wrote and performed songs, appearing in concerts and coffeehouses alongside Malvina Reynolds, Pete Seeger, Country Joe McDonald, Ric Masten, and many others.
After divorcing Mel Reid in 1972, Betty married Dr. William Soskin in 1978 following their collaboration on Project Community, a program at University of California at Berkeley. They remained married until his death in 1988.
Betty later returned to Berkeley to run Reid’s Records and as a business owner became active in Berkeley city politics. Her work led to a job as field representative for California’s 14th Assembly District, which led to her being seated at the table for the scoping sessions for the proposed Rosie the Riveter National Park. She was later hired as a consultant and eventually as a park ranger, in the creation of the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park.
Statement from Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park
During her time with the National Park Service, Betty made significant contributions to the development of Rosie the Riveter/ WWII Home Front National Historical Park. She was a powerful voice for sharing her personal experiences, highlighting untold stories, and honoring the contributions of women from diverse backgrounds who worked on the World War II Home Front.
We extend our deepest condolences to her family and all who loved her. Thank you, Betty, for your service, your stories, and your light.
Photo credit: NPS Photo/ Luther Bailey
