Betty Reid Soskin

Regional Oral History Office University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California Betty Reid Soskin Rosie the Riveter World War II American Homefront Oral History Project A Collaborative Project of the Regional Oral History Office, The National Park Service, and the City of Richmond, California Interviews conducted by Nadine Wilmot in 2002 Copyright © 2007 by The Regents of the University of California Since 1954 the Regional Oral History Office has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of Northern California, the West, and the nation. Oral History is a method of collecting historical information through tape-recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. The tape recording is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The corrected manuscript is bound with photographs and illustrative materials and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and in other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ********************************* All uses of this manuscript are covered by a legal agreement between The Regents of the University of California and Betty Reid Soskin, dated November 11, 2002. The manuscript is thereby made available for research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, Mail Code 6000, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000, and should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Rosie the Riveter World War II American Homefront Oral History Project: An Oral History with Betty Reid Soskin conducted by Nadine Wilmot, 2002, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2007. Discursive Table of Contents—Betty Soskin Audiofile 1 Family life—born Sept. 22, 1921 in Detroit, Michigan—both parents are from Louisiana— memories of Louisiana before she moved to California at 4—deep family history from her grandmother who lived to be 101 like her mother—relationships with her siblings were not very close—her father came to California after losing everything from the Depression—mother was Cajun black and her father was Creole black--racial discriminations between blacks and separation of Creoles—in extensive detail explains her mother’s side of the family—describes how education was second to physical attractiveness—compares the different ways of black pride that she’s experienced in her life—life before World War 2: communities were mixed racially and strongly integrated with each other’s families—experiences writing music—never associated herself with kids in her high school as she was apart of the “elite” African American group Audiofile 2 Her father was never comfortable having 3 girls—closest relationship with an adult was her grandfather, growing up—met her husband growing up, Mel, who later played for the Oakland Giants—grew up without being challenged in school, parents weren’t active in her school life— drama teacher knew that she was good but didn’t allow her any parts due to the school society— moved herself far from Catholicism but was forced to raise her adopted son as a Catholic, but later attended a Unitarian Church—couldn’t conceive a child after she was married which allowed her to work in the shipyards—the cutting edge history of Berkeley—after her divorce she married a professor at Cal—read various books growing up—her first job as a file clerk, which wasn’t very challenging for her—when she was a job transfer, the authorities assumed she was white, but once they found out the truth they allowed her to stay; she left her job—Mel, her husband, also faced the same circumstances of “passing” as white in order avoid the hassles of a black man—one Japanese friend of hers was placed in the internment camps; however, has lost in touch with her—society lifestyles of different Creoles. Audiofile 3 Married lifestyle—lived a rich lifestyle as they went to lots of parties—moved to Walnut Creek after they had children and changed their social groups—racial segregations weren’t by choice— she and Mel moved into Walnut Creek some people were offended by their presence—the clerical work she did was a baby step up from roles women had prior to the war—resentment about the “Rosie thing” finds herself separated during the whole experience—Mel worked in the shipyards with friends from high school—adopted Rick and sold music records from their garage, eventually had three stores, two in Oakland and one in Vallejo—the music started off R&B, then gospel and then found its level with the street—when Mel’s health failed and she married Bill and she used the store towards social change during the Black Revolution in the sixties--- her four children with Mel, first child was adopted, then Bobby, David and Dori— growing up, Rick was the only black child at his school—racial divisions—there was a black district to buy houses—how hard living was for Rick dealing being separate and apart from everyone—Black Caucuses, and Panther meetings—her sister’s death, JFK’s death—Martin Luther Kings’ assassination—increase in communist membership among blacks—Martin Luther King vs. Malcolm X how her church viewed them—hired at UC Berkeley as a supervisor on a research project—marriaged to Bill who she met in Berkeley. Audiofile 4 Second marriage—life of an academic wife—human potential movement—learned how things became political and how one has to be strategic—her dream in the Arts to open a Bay Area Performing Arts Center for blacks—different cities served as home for her. 1 Interview with Betty Reid Soskin Interviewed by: Nadine Wilmot Transcriber: Sam Schramski [Interview #01: October, 30, 2002] [Begin Audio File: Soskin1 10-30-02.wav] 1-00:00:05 Wilmot: Good morning. It’s October 30th and I’m here with Betty Reid Soskin. Just to begin can you tell me when you were born? 1-00:00:19 Soskin: Yeah. I was born on September 22, 1921 in Detroit, Michigan. 1-00:00:25 Wilmot: In Detroit, Michigan? 1-00:00:27 Soskin: Yeah, my father was working there and it was just before they returned to Louisiana, which was the family home. So I’ve never really known anything about Michigan. 1-00:00:40 Wilmot: Hmm. What kind of work did your father do? 1-00:00:43 Soskin: My father, at that time was working in the automobile plant, I think at the Ford Plant. He was a millwright. He was an architect by training. Not so much by education, just by training through his father. 1-00:00:59 Wilmot: And what did your mom do at that time? 1-00:01:02 Soskin: I haven’t a clue, but I think my mother did little. I know very little about my mother’s educational background, if there was any at all. I’m not sure she went to school. Her education may have been purely by older members of the family. She had an aunt who lived in the same home she was raised in, who created the first school for black children in St. James Parish, Louisiana. So I think my mother’s education was pretty much informal. To the extent that she did work, she was a service worker. 1-00:01:43 Wilmot: [pause] I was just taking notes. Can you tell me your parents’ names? 2 1-00:01:50 Soskin: My father was Dorson, D-O-R-S-O-N, Louis, L-O-U-I-S, Charbonnet, C-H-A-R-B-O-N-N-E-T. My mother was Lottie Allen, Lottie Estelle Allen I believe. She was from the Breaux family. 1-00:02:12 Wilmot: Were they both from New Orleans? 1-00:02:14 Soskin: My mother was from a Cajun line of people in Saint James Parish, Louisiana. My father was from New Orleans. 1-00:02:27 Wilmot: Now for me, I get confused between all the terms, Cajun, Creole. I’m wondering if you could tell me what would that mean to be from the Cajun line of people? 1-00:02:41 Soskin: The Cajun line of people are the people who arrived—at least my part of the family history I’ve done—arrived from Loudon, France. That’s L-O-U-D-O-N. Back in 1631, the first of the Breaux family. That coincides with the witch burning period, so I don’t know how those things connect. They left France; they arrived in Nova Scotia where they were for a number of years, generations. They went from Nova Scotia into Maryland, and from Maryland they received a land grant from the Spanish who had then settled in Louisiana Territory and wound up in Saint James Parish, Louisiana, which became the—they were the Acadians, which were the French who became the Cajuns.

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