For decades, stories of U.S. women during World War II and their contributions to war efforts have been folded under one image: that of a jumpsuit-wearing Rosie the Riveter who, invariably, is white. Meanwhile, the impact of women of colour — and particularly of Black women on the same factory and shipyard lines — is often minimised or ignored.
That’s true of the stories of enlisted servicewomen, too. During World War II, nearly 350,000 women, roughly 6,500 of whom were Black, served across all five branches of the U.S. military. Many went overseas, and some 432 died. Yet, their stories rarely get as much airtime as Rosie’s more marketable (and literal) illustration of 1940s’ girlboss-ery.
Tyler Perry’s new film on Netflix helps correct the record, on both accounts. Premiering in select cinemas and on Netflix this December, The Six Triple Eight movie is inspired by the true story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a predominantly Black, all-women unit led by Major Charity Adams Earley (played by Kerry Washington).
Together, the 855 women of colour who made up the 6888th took on the mission-critical task of restoring morale at a pivotal point in the war. How? By fixing a years-long backlog of mail — think 17 million undelivered letters and packages — that had failed to make it to American soldiers on the warfront. Making quick work of a herculean task, the women successfully completed their mission in half the allotted time, despite poor working and living conditions made worse by discrimination.
As quickly as the 6888th worked to help the Allied powers win World War II, society would move a lot slower to recognise them. It wasn’t until March 2022 — nearly 80 years after the battalion’s mission — that President Joe Biden signed PL 117-97, or the “Six Triple Eight” Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021, into law. That made the 6888th the only women’s military unit to receive the United States’ highest civilian honour.
Now, the latest film by Tyler Perry is set to bring the battalion’s story to a wider audience on Netflix with the help of performances from Washington and a star-studded cast. Below, we’ve rounded up everything to know about the upcoming movie and the real events and people that inspired it.
When is The Six Triple Eight coming out on Netflix?
The Six Triple Eight will be shown in select cinemas on December 6th before streaming widely on Netflix starting December 20th, per Netflix’s blog.
What is The Six Triple Eight about? The true story behind the movie
The Six Triple Eight tells the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion — the only predominantly Black Women’s Army Corps unit to be stationed in Europe during World War II — and draws many of its facts from reporting done for a 2019 WWII History Magazine article.