On Dec. 20, 2024, the movie “The Six Triple Eight” was released on Netflix, a movie pertaining to War World II and how even through discrimination and blatant racism, 855 African American Women soldiers were able to sort through a back draft of three years of mail to soldiers fighting in the war. The cast and production team included big names such as the director, two time National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) award winning Tyler Perry, and the leading role as two time Golden Globe Award winner Kerry Washington, portraying the undeniable Captain Charity Adam.
The theme of pursuing and going on was able to transpire to many of Perry’s works, his most recent one is “The Six Triple Eight.” 6888 was the all African American Battalion in the Women’s Army Corp, while also being the only African American female battalion that had the chance and opportunity to be sent overseas during World War II—led by Captain Charity Adams.
Captain Adams was the first Black woman to be in command of a battalion. Before that, she was raised in Columbia, South Carolina. Soon after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in multiple subjects, she joined the army. In 1942, she began to start basic training. By 1943, she was promoted to Major, the highest ranking female officer at her training center.
At the end of 1944, she was chosen to become the commanding officer of the first unit of the African American Women battalion. In the film, she is asking Colonel Davenport, played by Jeffrey Johnson, to be sent into the war, one of the many sides of conflict that is seen in this film. Kerry Washington was able to portray the intelligence and hardships of Charity Adams all throughout the movie, but first with an excellent first impression in meeting with the cadets. Her eyes, her posture, and her voice exude intelligence, poise, and carries the hardships she had to go through as being the first African American Women to become an officer in the Army.
As an Academy Award contestant and multiple NAACP award nominee, the film helps show what it truly means to be not only Black excellence but also Black history in the making. It helps show the strength of what it takes to handle adversity, and to continue to want to move forward when it comes to people trying to bring others down, and shining in the midst of that. A pivotal moment from the film is when Adams is talking to her cadets about belonging, and comparing themselves to the white soldier counterparts. This is the belief and motivation of African Americans because of all major plot points in America that were used to put them down. Between the discrimination and persecution of African Americans, the chance and opportunity to prove themselves has always been few and far between. Burdened to be better is the attitude that Adams instills into her cadets is the same attitude that she had when she was in highschool, college, basic training, becoming a Major, and even when she is talked down upon by her superior officers. She was burdened to be better, and so are her soldiers.
Historically, African American people have been overlooked in society. This movie highlights the traits of the real people of this time. An insurmountable back up of three years of mail seemed like such a menial task, almost feeling unimportant to the soldiers. They were treated poorly, given the worst conditions, yet Charity Adams was able to conceal how she felt about the injustice she was treated and kept leading the battalion with an iron clad expression and a boisterous voice of command.
The consistency in character from Kerry Washington makes the film all worth the watching. It shows the expression “You never know what people are going through.” All while the odds were against her, she was able to not only lead, but care for each and every one of these soldiers.
This is not a Black history movie. This is an American History movie. The film captures the attitudes, beliefs, motivations and values of every person in that time. The accuracy in this film is exemplary, and the message is that much sweeter after going through the journey with the characters. The heartships, the deaths, the hurt of true life comes onto the screen right before the eyes of the audience and brings about one of many truths, patience is a virtue.
Perseverance is an adjective that is used to describe someone who is able to pursue something even when seeming difficult or impossible. That is what each and every soldier did in World War II, and the 127 minute lens we see of history that audiences are able to see might just be enough. Enough to shape the mind of someone who has never thought or experienced the hardships of being African American, or a woman.
