Photo courtesy of Netflix.
“No mail, low morale.”
“I wanna go fight Hitler.”
“Our boys haven’t heard from their families in months, and morale is getting lower than ever, and when our soldiers have low morale, THEY CANNOT FIGHT!”
Photo of the 6888 Battalion from the Library of Congress.
The United States forced the surrender of the Empire of Japan on July 26, 1945, with Japan officially signing the surrender agreement on September 2, 1945, marking the end of World War II. The victory was a significant military achievement and relieved the soldiers who had been fighting overseas for years. This pivotal moment in history was made even more impactful by the contributions of the 6888 Battalion, whose efforts played a key role in boosting morale and ensuring communication reached soldiers far from home.
For the colored girls who marched for mail, we stand on your mailbags. Thank you for being excellent while also being BLACK. The work that these Black women did was invaluable and exemplifies Black brilliance.
Being a secretary seems like an honor after this film. Mister Perry has done it again. A historical hit. Won’t he do it! Miss Washington is cemented on a star in Hollywood. I’d say the ancestors helped wrap this one up for the diaspora this holiday season. We are following up on last year’s musical hit, “The Color Purple.” And yes, we mean you, Miss Winfrey, or shall I say, Mrs Bethune. Harpo put on her acting hat for one crucial scene, “You mean the White Woman’s Army corp?!” portraying educational ambassador Mary McCloud Bethune.
However, the scene stealers were the real women of the 6888 Battalion. Our stories have been so wiped out that we rarely see the living elements. When Fred Hampton’s story was produced, we have minimal references to those panthers who lived in the 1970s. Our stories have been forced into hiding, just like the colors of our skin. When “Hidden Figures” was produced, we had a living reference that catapults our cathartic response to lost stories. Are we a lost troop of people here in America? Have our legacies been written out? Or have they been buried? As a storyteller and artist, I’ve been on a quest to truly find out.
Over my dead body…sir…. – @kerrywashington as #CHARITYADAMS
Photo of Lena Derriecott Bell-King and her husband Hugh T. Bell. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.
What was the 6888th Battalion?
In short, they were hired to clear a backlog of mail sitting in airplane hangers in Europe that had not been sorted. In reality, they were given, as many Black women were given at the time, a plan to fail. They love painting the brown-skins as the scapegoat, but these women were not the type to mess around with. They were strong and emotional, good-looking, and powerful. They believed that America could and possibly should be more than simply Black and White. They knew how people viewed them and played towards that racist, misogynistic energy. You may hate us, but you will respect us, was the overall mood of the battalion. Grief is a powerful drug. Hard work and self-awareness are even more powerful catalysts for transformation.
Who was Battalion Leader Charity Adams?
Charity Adams Earley was born in Kittrell, North Carolina on December 5, 1918. A gifted student, she attended and graduated from the historically Black college Wilberforce University. In 1942, at the height of World War II, Adams enlisted in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), a newly formed branch of the military that allowed women to serve in non-combat roles. Her dedication and leadership skills quickly propelled her to the forefront of this burgeoning organization.
In 1943, Adams became the first African American woman to command a battalion in the U.S. Army, specifically the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Under her command, the battalion was tasked with a crucial mission: to sort through and deliver a backlog of accumulated mail for soldiers stationed overseas. Despite facing significant racial and gender-based discrimination, Adams and her battalion successfully completed their mission, ensuring that American soldiers received their letters and packages in a timely manner.
Photo courtesy of Netflix.
Who is Nicole Avant?
As the film’s producer, Avant is the leader of the passion drive behind Perry’s latest Netflix drop. She was a former US Ambassador to the Bahamas. Her parents, Clarence and Jacqueline Avant were pioneers in Black storytelling both in music and film mediums. Clarence Avant is known as The Black Godfather. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. The same year, his wife was brutally murdered by gunshot wounds during a home invasion.
Nicole spoke with Netflix about producing The Six Triple Eight, “My parents would’ve loved “The Six Triple Eight” because they [were] big believers in passing the baton, and they always believed that you can’t teach people about passing the baton if they don’t understand the baton itself, and they don’t understand the history that’s behind the baton that they’re passing on…”
Why The Film Became So Inspirational?
Black women just lost an election here in the United States, with Veep Kamala Harris conceding to former President Donald Trump a few short weeks ago. The focus on our futures has never been more urgent. We use the past, the mailbags, the Underground Railroad, and the Civil War as a pathway forward. None of this is new to our race, and “The Six Triple Eight” showed us how far we have come. There are scenes where Adams is not saluted and therefore not respected for her rank and file. There are days, as Black women, we are shot down by cops serving a no-knock warrant in Louisville, Kentucky, or shot dead for boiling a pot of hot water in Springfield, Illinois.
Grief and loss of true love are on full display when one of the leading characters, Lena Derriecott, breaks down in heartbreak after losing her beloved to war. She was not able to receive any letters from him. Her truth became the belly of their beast. We gon get this mail out.
Off-screen, our reality has been described as intense, hardened, icy, or even, at times, angry. Harris fought the best fight we have seen in political history. She went up against an establishment with not even the full strength of her party’s support. Her race was one against time- just like the women of the 6888 Battalion. They were meant to deliver over 17M pieces of mail in less than six months.
They accomplished their mission in half of the time. They accomplished it by using their God-given talents, being smart, being clever, and taking chances. Similar to what we saw on display during the Harris Walz campaign. The film serves as an empowerment story, not just for Black women, but for anyone ever tasked with the impossible. In many ways, the word “impossible” is a misnomer.
About Tahyira Savanna: Tahyira is a lifestyle journalist and writer. Her interest includes human stories and introspection. She interviews everyday people doing their part to make our world happier.
Follow her on Twitter @TAsterisk and Instagram @iletthegoodtimesroll
