Betty Reid Soskin celebrates 104th birthday at Bay Area school named in her honor
By CBS Bay Area
Betty Reid Soskin rang in her 104th birthday on Monday with a symphony of cheers from students lining the courtyard at Betty Reid Soskin Middle School in El Sobrante.
But if you ask her, her birthday is just another Monday.
“It doesn’t feel much different than it did yesterday,” Soskin told CBS News Bay Area.
Soskin has seen much in her 104 years. Originally born to Louisiana Creoles in New Orleans, her family settled in the East Bay, where she took an active stand against Jim Crow laws.
But she said her life really began long after that.
“There have been so many, so many parts of my history that have been stood out, and they all started after I was 50,” Soskin said.
Her claim to fame would come in her 80s when she became a park ranger at Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park in Richmond.
She told stories of African Americans during World War II. Specifically, the story of the Port Chicago explosion, which killed 320 people, mostly black sailors, exposed racial segregation in the armed forces.
“It was their sacrifice that launched desegregation for the country and the world,” she told CBS News Bay Area reporters in a previous interview.
She would do that until she was 100, making her the oldest park ranger in history – a service that should be celebrated, says Meena Harris, author and niece of former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I think that she defines what it means to be an American hero, and I look to her, especially in moments like this, where, you know, day to day can feel really overwhelming,” Harris said. “I think that she’s such an incredible reminder of what it can look like to make an impact in your own community.”
Soskin’s story is plastered on the walls of the middle school that now bears her name, where her granddaughter, Alyana Reid, hoped everyone would see.
“There’s so many examples of women and women of color being exceptional,” Reid said. “You know, it’s still, to this day, not an easy thing to exist in. That’s inspirational.”
An inspiration 104 years in the making.
