The Six-Triple Eight

LaTasha Jones “The Griot is Coming.” “The Griot is Coming.” Storytelling Arts of Indiana is hosting the griot and storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston. She will use the power of word and story to share the legacy of the Six-Triple Eight, the only predominantly Black Women’s Army Corps (WAC) Battalion that served overseas during World World II. The “Six-Triple Eight,” otherwise known as the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, was meticulously chosen by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, a respected educator and public figure who advised President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Dr. McLeod Bethune, along with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, strongly pushed for the involvement of black women in the war effort. As a result, over 800 black women were sent overseas to England aboard the SS Ile de France on February 3, 1945. Their mission was to clear several years of backlogged mail in the European Theater of Operations; the WAC embraced the motto “No Mail, Low Morale.” In 2022, the 6888 Battalion was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. Netflix will stream the Six-Triple Eight, an upcoming period film starring Kerry Washington as Captain Charity Adams, the commander of the 6888 battalion(s) during World War II. Susan Sarandon plays First Lady...