For decades, the stories of U.S. women during World War II and their contributions to the war effort were captured under one photo: a photo of herself wearing overalls. Rosie the Riveter always white. Meanwhile, women of different races and especially black women on the same factory and shipyard lines – are often minimized or ignored.

This also applies to the stories of women who were drafted into the military. During World War II almost 350,000 womenAbout 6,500 of them served in all five branches of the U.S. military, which are Black. Many went abroad and approximately 432 people died. But her stories rarely get as much airtime as Rosie’s more marketable stories (and real) Illustration of 1940s boss girls.

Tyler Perry’s new movie on Netflix helps set the record straight on both accounts. It will premiere in select theaters and on Netflix this December. Six Triple Eight The film is inspired by the true story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a predominantly black, all-female unit led by Maj. Charity Adams Earley (played by Kerry Washington).

Together, the 855 women of different races who made up the 6,888th took on the critical task of restoring morale at a crucial point in the war. How? Sorting through years of backlog of mail – consider 17 million undelivered letters and packages – had failed to reach American soldiers on this war front. Carrying out a huge task quickly, the women successfully completed their tasks in half the allotted time, despite poor working and living conditions worsened by discrimination.

When the 6888th tried to help the Allied powers win World War II, society would be much slower to recognize them. President Joe Biden only arrived in March 2022, nearly 80 years after the battalion’s mission. signed PL 117-97or the “Six Triple Eight” Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021 was signed into law. This made 6888 women’s only military unit Receiving the United States’ highest civilian honor.

Now Tyler Perry’s latest film is set to bring the battalion’s story to a wider audience on Netflix, with the help of performances from Washington and a star-studded cast. Below, we’ve rounded up everything there is to know about the upcoming film and the real events and people that inspired it.

When Six Triple Eight Is it on Netflix?

Six Triple Eight It will be released in select theaters on December 6th and will be widely released on Netflix starting December 20th. Netflix’s blog.

Why Six Triple Eight about? The real story behind the movie

Six Triple Eight It tells the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. predominantly Black only The Women’s Corps unit will be stationed in Europe during World War II and draws most of its facts from reports made during the war. 2019 World War II History Magazine article.