A short work-in-progress documentary film sample about iconic National Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin, her hidden life as a singer/songwriter and a civil rights pioneer in California, and her journey to re-explore her music sixty years later.

For over 50 years, Betty Reid Soskin held a secret. Deep in her closet, she’d hidden a box of reel-to-reel tapes with dozens of stunning original songs that narrate her personal journey through the 1960s and 1970s. For decades, she’d been too afraid to confront the emotional baggage that went along with her music, so she buried it away.

With no clear sense for what the future would hold, she decided to open the box and dive back into her songs. That sparked an autobiographical journey to re-explore the personal experiences behind her songs.

In her collaboration with the next generation of Bay Area musicians, Betty’s songs converge past and present through their exploration of race, identity, and what it means to be American.

Betty’s music is a haunting flashback to her family’s experiences confronting Jim Crow segregation in California. As the first African-Americans to integrate in an all-white suburb of San Francisco, her son survived being stoned by white children, and her family endured daily bigotry that left permanent scars.

The film follows Betty’s journey from the first time she listens to her old tapes, through her collaborations with younger musicians, and culminates with her singing of one of her songs to a crowd of thousands backed by a full symphony orchestra and choir. but only after confronting the deep personal traumas that had kept her from her music for so long.

Find Location

The event will be held onboard the Red Oak Victory Ship at:

Historic Richmond Kaiser Shipyards
1337 Canal Blvd., Berth 5
Richmond, California 94804

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Contact Details

• Organizer Name: Port Chicago Alliance
• Email: portchicago50@outlook.com
• Phone: (925) 450-0070
• Website: www.signmynametofreedom.com