Richmond park ranger Soskin celebrated in new film
Beloved national park ranger Betty Reid Soskin is the subject of a heartfelt documentary airing on local television this weekend.
“No Time to Waste — the Urgent Mission of Betty Reid Soskin” will make its broadcast premiere at 7 p.m. today on NBC Bay Area.
The 50-minute film, directed by Carl Bidleman, tells the inspiring story of Soskin, a ranger with the National Park Service who is assigned to the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond.
At 98, she is the oldest national park ranger serving the United States.
“No Time to Waste,” which will air commercial-free, celebrates Soskin’s life, work and relentless mission to “restore critical missing chapters of America’s story.” The film chronicles her varied experiences as a young worker in a World War II segregated union hall and as a singer, civil rights activist, mother, legislative representative and chief planner of the Rosie the Riveter museum.
Considered by many to be a national treasure, Soskin assumed her park ranger duties at age 85 and quickly became well-known for her engaging talks on Richmond’s history, race and social change, and her own life experiences.
In 1995, she was honored by the Legislature as the woman of the year. Two years ago, she released a memoir, “Sign My Name to Freedom.”
“We are living in such turbulent times that many of us are left feeling hopeless,” says the director, Bidleman. “Betty’s lived through tougher times her whole life. And she knows to get through them. In spite of the repeated injustice and the pain, she remains a voice of hope. How can you say ‘no’ to telling that story?”
Last September, Soskin suffered a stroke that kept her from her park duties for five months. She returned to the museum in January in a limited role.
“I would suggest that anyone continue to do what they love doing as long as they can,” she told the Bay Area News Group upon her return. “That’s what gives life its meaning.”
The NBC Bay Area broadcast also will include a brief interview with Soskin conducted by veteran reporter Cheryl Hurd.