[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 167 (Tuesday, October 22, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H8303-H8304]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING BETTY REID SOSKIN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. DeSaulnier) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DeSAULNIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the service of 
esteemed public servant, activist, and great American Betty Reid 
Soskin.
  Betty is a constituent, a friend, and a pillar of Contra Costa County 
in the Bay Area in California. She is fondly known as the National Park 
Service's oldest serving ranger, at 98 years old, and is assigned to 
the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park 
in Richmond, California.
  As an interpretive park ranger for the past 13 years, Betty has 
educated thousands of visitors about the Rosies and her own experience 
as a young Black woman working in Richmond during World War II. She 
worked as a file clerk for the Boilermakers Union A-36, a Jim Crow, all 
African American union auxiliary.
  Betty has been an activist her whole life. She fought for civil 
rights during Freedom Summer, was an activist against the Vietnam war, 
helped with faith-based racial healing work in the Unitarian 
Universalist church, and became a delegate to the 1972 Democratic 
National Convention.
  Betty also served as a legislative aide for a Berkeley city council 
member and as a field representative for two California State Assembly 
members, which led to her involvement in designing the Rosie the 
Riveter National Park. Her advocacy ensured that marginalized 
communities' narratives and stories were included in the park's 
historical exhibits and resources on the war efforts in Richmond, 
California.
  In 1995, Betty was named a Woman of the Year by the California State 
Legislature. She was also named one of the Nation's 10 outstanding 
women in 2006 by the National Women's History Project.
  In 2015, she was formally recognized by President Barack Obama, who 
gave her a silver coin with the Presidential seal.
  Born in 1921, Betty has lived through many pivotal moments in U.S. 
history and is a crucial voice in speaking to the value of American 
democracy, the realities of the African American struggle, and the 
importance of continued progress.
  In an interview for a feature in Glamour magazine, Betty said, when 
she was Woman of the Year: ``Democracy has been experiencing these 
periods of chaos since 1776. They come and go. And it's in those 
periods that democracy is redefined. History has been written by people 
who got it wrong, but the people who are always trying to get

[[Page H8304]]

it right have prevailed. If that were not true,'' Betty said, ``I would 
still be a slave like my great-grandmother.''

  Betty's colleagues, fans, and friends deeply admire her activism, her 
leadership, and her dedication to social justice and to America. Her 
positivity, sense of self, and commitment to doing what is right and 
preserving and honoring our past continue to inspire us all.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating and celebrating this 
wonderful American's dedicated service and in wishing her a speedy 
recovery and good health. Her strong spirit and perseverance are an 
inspiration to us all.

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