Hear Firsthand Accounts from 'The Six Triple Eight' in a Free Online Documentary Screening

Netflix hit a home run when it released the World War II drama "The Six Triple Eight" at the end of 2024. The film, starring Kerry Washington ("Scandal") and Ebony Obsidian ("Tough Love") shot right to the top of the streamer's most-watched lists. But if you look on a movie review site such as Rotten Tomatoes, you'll find a huge gap between what the critics and audiences thought about the movie. Viewers loved it; critics were mixed.

But no matter what audiences or movie critics thought about the details of the film, there was one thing they could all agree on: The story of the trailblazing Black soldiers of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, who stepped up to serve a country that regarded them as second-class citizens,was one that deserved recognition. The nonprofit Foundation for Women Warriors is taking a step further in sharing their story.

On Feb. 5, 2025, the foundation is hosting a free virtual screening of the documentary feature, "Black Women & WWII: The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion."

For those who haven't seen the Netflix dramatization, the all-Black, all-female 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was a fully self-sufficient unit of Women's Army Corps soldiers assigned to untangle a (literally) massive problem. By February 1945, the United States had a postal backlog so large that it filled numerous warehouses and airplane hangars. The mail, intended for American service members in Europe or their families back home, was hampered by common names, obscure nicknames and the ever-changing location of units in the theater. It was absolute chaos.

For anyone who served in the age before the internet, mobile phones and other forms of instant, mass communication (which really isn't so long ago), getting mail from back home during a deployment was necessary for morale and personal well-being. For families who may not understand the nature of war, getting a letter from a loved one deployed overseas provides hope and reassurance. In short: Mail was important, and not getting mail could really affect a troop's quality of life.

The WACs of the 6888th were sent to England in February 1944 to untangle the military's postal mess. Working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in a building without heat, they devised a system to translate the identities and locations of service members, recirculated undeliverable mail and had the sad duty of returning mail sent to those who had been killed in action. They cleared the backlog in three months by processing 195,000 pieces of mail every day. They did it in the face of rampant racism, misogyny and constant harassment from their Army leadership and even their Black and white male peers.

Led by Maj. Charity Adams, they would accomplish similar missions in Rouen, France, and Paris before being sent back to Fort Dix, New Jersey, where the unit was disbanded in 1946 after clearing some 17 million pieces of mail. They were the only Black women stationed overseas during all of World War II.

The Foundation for Women Warriors is dedicated to empowering and recognizing female veterans and their children by enhancing their economic well-being and advocating for the needs of women in service to the country. As part of this mission, the nonprofit is hosting a free virtual screening of the Six Triple Eight documentary, "Black Women & WWII: The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion," which features firsthand accounts from the women veterans of the unit.

"These women, who served their country with immense courage and resilience despite facing profound racial and gender discrimination, resonate with the very essence of empowerment and change that I believe cinema should portray," director Gina Gelphman said in a statement. "In directing this film, my mission is to not only pay tribute to these remarkable women but also to create a powerful and unflinching narrative that speaks to contemporary issues of equality and recognition. It's a story of heroism, determination, and a relentless pursuit of justice that transcends time, and I'm both honored and challenged to bring it to the screen."

"Black Women & WWII: The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion" will be streamed at 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific on Feb. 5, 2025. To reserve a seat, fill out the request form at the Foundation for Women Warriors website.

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