The Six Triple Eight: Story Plot, Trailer and Release Date on Netflix

The Six Triple Eight is the story of the war’s only Women’s Army Corps unit of color, which stars Kerry Washington. Perry wrote and directed the project and produced it alongside Nicole Avant, Angi Bones, Tony L. Strickland, Keri Selig, and Carlota Espinosa. An important but little-known story, especially outside the United States of America: the Netflix film “The Six Triple Eight” tells the true story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only battalion composed mainly of African American women of the Women’s Army Corps, operating during the Second World War. The script is based on an article published in 2019 in WWII History Magazine, which has helped pass on the story now become a film directed by Tyler Perry.

Plot of The Six Triple Eight

The film tells the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only battalion composed mainly of African American women from the Women’s Army Corps, sent to Europe during the Second World War. The narrative is based on an article published in 2019 in the WWII History Magazine, which has helped to bring out the details of this historical event. The 6888th had previously faced many insidious assignments when, in February 1945, it was deployed to Europe, narrowly escaping an attack by a German submarine during the trip. Once he arrives, he is faced with a complex mission: to dispose of an immense accumulation of undelivered mail destined for American soldiers, fundamental to keeping the morale of the troops high at the front.

Although many African American units are led by white officers, the 6888th is entirely managed by black women, including leadership positions. At the helm, we find Major Charity Adams, the first black woman to command a battalion abroad during the war. Arriving in England and later in France, the women of the 6888th found themselves faced with a backlog of 17 million letters to be sorted, with the expectation of completing the work in six months, creating an incessant shift system and working in conditions very hard. Despite everything, they completed the entire operation in just three months and, in addition, independently created a canteen and a beauty salon. The first black woman to command a battalion abroad during the war.

The Six Triple Eight: The Cast

Directed and written by Tyler Perry starting from an article published in 2019 in the WWII History Magazine, “The Six Triple Eight” has a very rich cast composed as follows (actors and respective roles):

• Kerry Washington (Major Charity Adams)
• Ebony Obsidian (Lena Derriecott King)
• Oprah Winfrey (Mary McLeod Bethune)
• Susan Sarandon (Eleanor Roosevelt)
• Dean Norris (General Halt)
• Sam Waterston (Franklin Roosevelt)
• Milauna Jackson (Captain Campbell)
• Shanice Shantay (Johnnie Mae)
• Kylie Jefferson (Bernice Baker)
• Sarah Jeffery (Dolores Washington)
• Pepi Sonuga (Elaine White)
• Jeanté Godlock (Vera)
• Jay Reeves (Private Hugh Bell)
• Gregg Sulkin (Abram David)
• Moriah Brown (Inez)
• Biscoe woman (Emma Derriecott)
• Baadja-Lyne Odums (Susie)

The Six Triple Eight: The Trailer

The Six Triple Eight: Release Date

After making its debut on December 6 in a few selected rooms in the United States, “The Six Triple Eight” arrives on Netflix, worldwide, on December 20, 2024.

The Six Triple Eight Based on a True Story?

Yes. The 6888th Central Postal Directory was the first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to be stationed in Europe during World War II. When they were deployed to Europe in February 1945, the 855 women in the 6888th were handed a backlog of 17 million pieces of mail, some labeled with incorrect or incomplete addresses, and asked to ship it out in six months. Their motto? “No mail, low morale.” The task bore high emotional stakes; the families of servicemen at home had not received word from their loved ones in months. Working in three eight-hour shifts, the women of the 6888th set out to work. Still, they faced nearly insurmountable odds. Despite the importance of their responsibilities, the battalion was put in segregated housing and relegated to poorly maintained buildings often lacking light and heat. Through sheer will and ingenuity, they remained undeterred, creating a community of their own, complete with a mess hall, hair salon, and refreshment bar. Within 90 days, they had accomplished their mission — in half the time allotted.

Decades later, the 6888th Battalion’s efforts finally received the praise they deserved. In 2018, a monument to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was dedicated at the Buffalo Soldier Monument Park at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In 2023, Adams became the first Black woman in US history to have an Army fort named after her: Fort Gregg-Adams in Prince George County, Virginia. Perry was inspired to make The Six Triple Eight by a connection he made with Lena Derriecott King, a former member of the group who died at the age of 100 in January 2024. “We sat in her house for a couple of hours just talking, having a great conversation,” Perry said in a tribute video to King. “And when I left there, I had a whole movie in my mind that I wanted to write for her.” Before she passed, Perry sat at her bedside and showed King an incomplete version of the film. As of King’s passing, there are only two members of the 6888th Battalion remaining: Fannie McClendon and Anna Mae Robertson. In recent years, their story has finally been told. President Joe Biden presented the 6888th with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2022, and Perry’s script for The Six Triple Eight is based on a 2019 article by Kevin M. Hymel published in WWII History Magazine. The film also features “The Journey,” an original song written by Diane Warren and performed by H.E.R., with choreography by Debbie Allen.