Born in Springfield, Bettie Allen began working as a mechanic as a teenager and continued into adulthood, while also working for state government She volunteered in the South, doing voter registration and civil rights work, in the 1960s.
In an interview for the Springfield African-American History Foundation series, Allen discussed her family’s history in Springfield, World War II home front activities, her travels, including mission work in Africa, her involvement with the YWCA, and details of her career with the state of Illinois.