Liberator In History: Charity Adams & The 6888

Did you know that National Black History Month has been around since 1926? With the exception of its first two years, each year has focused on a distinct social theme. This year’s theme is African Americans and Labor.

Labor is what keeps the economy growing, but it’s also critical during war time. And this is where the story of Charity Adams begins.

During World War II, Major Charity Adams, the first Black woman officer in the U.S. Army, led the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, knows as the “Six Triple Eight.”

Given an “impossible” task with too short a deadline, her male superiors proclaimed she was unfit for military service and eagerly anticipated her failure. But Adams and her unit rolled up their sleeves and pushed ahead despite the culture of racism and misogyny that fought them every step of the way.

Their mission was to sort through 17 million undelivered letters and packages destined for American soldiers and their families stationed in Europe. For soldiers far from home, mail was a lifeline, and the task before the Six Triple Eight was critical to morale—and seemingly insurmountable.

Under Adams’ resolute leadership, the battalion braved freezing temperatures in unheated warehouses, mildew-covered parcels, and scavenging rats. With unity, focus and determination, she worked her battalion around the clock in shifts under wartime blackout conditions, clearing the backlog in just three months—half the expected time for the mission’s completion.

Though they returned home with little fanfare, the legacy of Adams and the Six Triple Eight remains inspirational. President Biden honored them with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2022, and their story is immortalized in the riveting Netflix film, “The Six Triple Eight.”

Though many see Adams’ story as a remarkable achievement in Black History, it’s also a story of an unrelenting liberator who, working under duress with her battalion, lifted the morale and fighting spirit of millions of American soldiers who went on to win the war.

You can learn more about Charity Adams here, or you may enjoy watching Tyler Perry’s biographic film on Netflix.