Tyler Perry continues his move to more serious stories, following up the acclaimed A Jazzman’s Blues with a World War II epic. Per a press release provided to The Root, we’ve learned that the filmmaker’s next Netflix project will be Six Triple Eight. The movie tells the true story of “the only all-Black, all-female WWII battalion.”
Per the official synopsis: “These 855 women joined the war effort with little knowledge of what exactly they would be doing, but were quickly given the mission of a lifetime: sort through and fix the three-year backlog of undelivered mail. A herculean task, that most thought to be impossible, the women not only succeeded but did it in half the time they were given. Facing discrimination, unfamiliar land, and a war-torn country, they persevered and sorted over 17 million pieces of mail, reconnecting American soldiers with their families and loved ones back home. The motto that kept them going each day was one they created themselves: ‘No Mail, Low Morale.’ The women of the 6888 weren’t just delivering mail, they were delivering hope.”
I am always here for Black women from history finally getting their due. Hollywood has made a million WWII movies and somehow we’ve never heard this amazing story of how these women kept soldiers connected to their families.
Whether you like his movies or not, Perry champions Black women in them, so you know he will treat this story with the dignity, respect and honor it deserves. The Madea star is directing the film and writing the script based on a Kevin M. Hymel article published in WWII History Magazine by Sovereign Media.
The 6888 story is another example of why it is so important that all aspects of history be taught and discussed. On March 14, President Biden signed the bill for these veterans to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. Let that sink in for a minute. It’s 2022 and they are only just now being honored for their service. It doesn’t take a historian to figure out that their heroism is just being memorialized because their story was buried.
Hopefully, Six Triple Eight will lead to more Black women veterans getting their flowers, the same way Hidden Figures highlighted Black women’s contributions to science.