This is pretty different from my usual emails! Recently, I had the opportunity to see clips from a fascinating documentary about the life of Betty Reid Soskin, who just turned 103 years young.
Betty was raised in Oakland, graduating from Castlemont High School in the forties, and became famous a few years ago as the oldest park ranger in the country. However, few people know that she and her family were the first African-Americans to integrate Walnut Creek in the 1960s, a town which was originally created by red-lining to be all-white.
The documentary also relates Betty’s little-known music career in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. It shows students from Oakland School of the Arts performing a beautiful rendition of one of her rediscovered songs.
Please join me for a sneak peek of clips from the documentary, Sign My Name to Freedom, along with a discussion of how Betty’s life can teach the history of Oakland, on Wednesday, December 4 at 6:00 pm in the Santa Fe School Auditorium.
We will also broadcast the event on Zoom for those who want to watch from home, but I hope you'll come out because things are always more vivid in person!
You can register for either option at: https://www.signmynametofreedo...
