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Contra Costa board adjourns in memory of Betty Reid Soskin and honors her legacy
Summary
The Board of Supervisors played a tribute video and heard multiple tributes recognizing Betty Reid Soskin’s work as a historian, park ranger and community leader; the meeting was adjourned in her memory.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors ended its first 2026 meeting with a tribute to Betty Reid Soskin, a longtime community activist and National Park Service storyteller. Supervisors played a video and shared personal memories of Soskin’s work preserving and telling local history.
Chair Diane Burgis recalled Soskin’s contributions and read remarks recognizing Soskin’s role in ensuring that the stories of Black Americans and women were included in regional and national histories. Supervisor John Gioia and others described Soskin’s decades of public service, her role with the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Homefront National Historical Park, and national recognitions including White House engagements.
“‘What gets remembered is determined by who’s in the room doing the remembering,’” a supervisor quoted from Soskin’s remarks during the video. The board adjourned the meeting in her honor.
The tributes included a recorded message and several short in‑person remarks; the adjournment in her memory closed the meeting.
