But there's a hidden side to Betty she rarely talks about. Back in the 1950s, Betty and her family were the first African-Americans to integrate an all-white town in the San Francisco Bay Area, and she chronicled her experiences as a singer/songwriter, with a voice like Billie Holiday and the relevance of Nina Simone.
But she turned her back on a potential career in music, and her songs haven't been heard for half a century. We know NewsHour has featured Betty this past year on the topic of her park ranger retirement, and we imagine this BBS would take a completely different direction and share another fascinating layer of this incredible 102-year old’s life (as of March 2024)
Sign My Name to Freedom: The Lost Music of Betty Reid Soskin (90-Second Trailer)