The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    She became a park ranger at 85 to tell her story of segregation. Now 100, she’s the oldest active ranger.

    By rmrd0000 on Sat, 09/25/2021 - 1:07am |

    From the WaPo

    When asked how it feels to be 100 years old, Betty Reid Soskin gave a subtle shrug, smiled and said: “The same way I felt at 99.”

    But she’s not just any centenarian: Soskin is the oldest active ranger in the National Park Service, and after celebrating her birthday on Sept. 22, she’s still going strong.

    Seated in the study of her apartment in Richmond, Calif., dressed proudly in her park ranger uniform, Soskin reflected on her life.

    When it comes to sharing her story, Soskin is not shy. As a park ranger at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, she spends her days recounting her rich and complicated history, in the hope that her firsthand account will resonate with people, and encourage them to share their own stories.

    “I think everyone’s story is very important. There is so much diversity,” Soskin said. “It’s in that mix that the great secret of a democracy exists.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/09/24/betty-soskin-park-ranger-100/