The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the largest unit of Black women to serve overseas during World War II, processed approximately 65,000 pieces of mail per shift. Their crucial role was delivering mail from the home front to soldiers in the European theater between 1945 and 1946.
This previously unsung operation is now the focus of a major Hollywood production. Netflix’s The Six Triple Eight, directed by Tyler Perry and released December 20th, features a prominent cast. Kerry Washington portrays battalion leader Major Charity Adams, showcasing her fight for equal respect and opportunities for Black service members. Sam Waterston plays President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Susan Sarandon portrays First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Oprah Winfrey embodies Mary McLeod Bethune, the first Black woman to head a federal agency, who advised FDR on matters concerning Black Americans.
The Six Triple Eight follows Lena Derriecott King (Ebony Obsidian), a Philadelphia woman who joins the Army aspiring to be a nurse after her boyfriend’s death overseas. King, and her suitor Abram, were real individuals. In the film, King’s mother, a synagogue caterer, disapproves of their interracial relationship, fearing discrimination. Abram’s death overseas and the subsequent discovery of an undelivered letter from him highlight the battalion’s vital mail organization work.
Here’s more about the 6888th and their remarkable achievements.
What it was like to be in the 6888
Despite their accomplishments, the women of the 6888th faced significant discrimination. Adams, a South Carolina native, was a high school valedictorian and a member of the first Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) officer class.
While Black and white women trained together, segregation persisted in their daily lives, including on buses and in living quarters. The film depicts scenes of Black soldiers enduring tear gas and physical training, only to be subsequently denied equal access to public spaces. These indignities were commonplace, as detailed in Kevin M. Hymel’s book about the 6888th, which inspired the film.
Adams’ assignment to organize mail was unexpected, revealed mid-flight. The film shows Bethune assuring President Roosevelt of Adams’ troops’ capabilities.
The 6888th worked in a dilapidated Birmingham, England warehouse, formerly a school. The movie shows their efforts to transform it into an office; it was reportedly overrun with rats amongst the mailbags, according to Major General Mari K. Eder’s The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line: Untold Stories of the Women Who Changed the Course of World War II.
“I know how this looks, ladies,” Adams said, according to Eder’s book, “And I know what you’re probably thinking. But we have a job to do, and we’re going to get it done. Now let’s get organized.”
They tackled letters addressed to nicknames, damaged care packages, and other logistical challenges.
“They clear the backlog faster than any civilians or military personnel who had been there before,” Lena S. Andrews, author of Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II, told TIME in 2023.
“By making sure all the mail got delivered, she really helped to keep up morale for troops in the European Theater,” Matthew F. Delmont, author of Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad, told TIME in 2022.
Eder notes that some 6888th members experienced more freedom in England than in the segregated U.S., forming friendships with locals and engaging in social interactions.
After the war
After processing 17 million pieces of mail, the 6888th was deployed to France, clearing a two-year backlog in just three months. Adams’ promotion to lieutenant colonel made her the highest-ranking Black woman in the U.S. Army.
Following their work organizing civilian mail in Paris, the unit was deactivated in 1946. King pursued design school in Leicester, England, and later resided in Las Vegas for many years.
In 2022, the battalion received the Congressional Gold Medal. One side depicts Adams, the other a stack of mail with the inscription “clearing the backlog.” In 2023, a U.S. Army base previously named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee was renamed Fort Gregg-Adams, honoring Adams and Arthur Gregg.
The Six Triple Eight director showed the film to Lena Derriecott King shortly before her death. In an Instagram video, King expressed gratitude for the film’s recognition of Black women’s contributions. King passed away on January 18, 2024, at age 100.
Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the 6888th demonstrated Black women’s capabilities. “What we had was a large group of adult Negro women who had been victimized, in one way or another, by racial bias,” Adams wrote in her memoir. “This was one opportunity for us to stand together for a common cause.”