“Six Triple Eight” recently It first appeared on Netflix It tells the story of the first predominantly black and female Army battalion that served overseas during World War II. The film stars Kerry Washington and is written and directed by Tyler Perry.
“You have to watch this, because this story isn't really being told in America, and we need to tell the story,” said Nicole Avant, producer of “The Six Triple Eight.”
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The 6888th Postal Battalion is composed mostly of African-American women. They are set in locations in England and France During World War II. Their mission was to clear several years of accumulated mail.
The 6888th Post Battalion marches down a street in a scene from the Netflix movie “The Six Triple Eight.” (Netflix)
“When there's no mail, morale is low,” Washington, who plays US Army Major Charity Adams, says during the film. The phrase was the battalion's slogan.
Adams led about 850 women. She ended the war as a lieutenant colonel, becoming the highest-ranking black woman during the war.
According to U.S. Army records, more than 3.3 billion pieces of mail passed through the military postal service to reach the front lines in 1945 alone. The War Department began receiving complaints of low soldiers' morale due to the backlog of mail. An enormous amount of letters and packages, coupled with a shortage of qualified postal workers, prompted the Army to deploy the 6888th.
Kerry Washington plays US Army Major Charity Adams in the Netflix series The Six Triple Eight. (Left: National Archives; Right: Netflix)
“They were determined, committed and focused. They didn't let anything stand between them and their goal and mission,” Avant said. “The only means of communication at this time was the US Postal Service.”
Historians estimate that women processed 65,000 pieces of mail in each eight-hour shift. They cleared about 17 million backlogged pieces of mail.
A photo from the National Archives shows the 6888th Postal Battalion sorting mail. (National Archives)
“Their secret was that they didn't wait for things to be fair or right or even excellent. They were excellent and they were patriots. They wanted to serve service members. They wanted to serve people on the front lines.” Avant said. “They weren't really celebrated, which is why we wanted to do this movie.”
Avant produced the film using her background in politics and show business. She worked in the presidential campaign of former President Barack Obama in 2008. She also served as the United States Ambassador to Bahamas During Obama's first term. She is the author of the best-selling novel I Think You'll Be Happy, which honors her mother in the wake of her tragic death.. Her father, Clarence Avant, known as “The Black Godfather,” was the president of Motown Records.
“My father saw him before he crossed and he died,” Avant said. “So, this movie means even more to me. It's very special for that.”
Kerry Washington appears as US Army Major Charity Adams of the 6888th Post Battalion in a scene from the Netflix series The Six Triple Eight. (Netflix)
A member of Troop 6888 also watched the film shortly before his death. Retired Lena Derricotte Belle King sat down with Perry and the crew of “The Six Triple Eight” before her death in January.
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“It meant everything, especially to Tyler Perry,” Avant said. “He made sure this story was accurate and made sure she saw the movie before she died.”
Ebony Obsidian plays the role of the king in the film. Oprah Winfrey She also appears in the film as civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. Susan Sarandon plays First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
“Everyone wanted to tell this story, about these unsung American heroes who changed the game and the course of World War II,” Avant said. “Everyone was committed, focused and wanted to share the story of these great patriots.”
