Remembering the forgotten heroes in Netflix’s 'The Six Triple Eight'

The Six Triple Eight delivers the quality and emotion that is expected of a Tyler Perry story. It touches upon the forgotten accomplishments of the unsung heroes of the 6888th Battalion of the Women’s Army Corps - the first of its kind to ever serve overseas. The movie is all about these women who were brought together to organize the delivery of thousands upon thousands of untouched mail and parcels of soldiers and their families from home during the Great War.

Witness the replay of history where 855 black women come together as they overcome unwarranted racism, obstruction, and vilification. All the while, their service brings relief to thousands of households in the US as they await their beloveds who are sacrificing their lives on the other side of the Atlantic.

The Diary of a Mad Black Woman actor (and here director) brought together a perfectly balanced ensemble of actors to tell us his narrative. The talented females include legends like Oprah Winfrey (Mary Mcleod Bethune) and Susan Sarandon (Eleanor Roosevelt), with their cameos, as well as younger and slightly lesser-known actors such as Ebony Obsidian, Shanice Williams, and Pepi Sonuga.

Love, sacrifice, and discipline define the characters in Netflix's The Six Triple Eight

However, it is Kerry Washington’s portrayal of Major Charity Adams that deserves all the credit (and more) in making the character real for all of us as well as transforming The Six Triple Eight from another historical narrative into a melodramatic piece of art that Tyler Perry hopefully wanted.

The American Son actress’s performance embodies the struggle of the real women who took upon the lofty task of re-connecting the soldiers on the frontlines with their loved ones at home while the top racist military brass awaited their presumed failure.

The story starts with the forbidden romance between Lena Derriecott King (Ebony Obsidian) and her white Jewish boyfriend Abram David (Gregg Sulkin). Lena is emotionally driven to enlist under the command of Major Charity Adams (Kerry Washington) as soon as she finds out Abram dies on the field of battle.

While it initially feels like the movie is going to be centered on two individuals ripped apart by not just war and death but also culture, discrimination, and time – it’s more about a group of determined women bound by duty and sisterhood, as they battle racism at home and the horrors of war in foreign lands. Our leading ladies are not gun-touting adrenaline junkies fighting their way through hordes of Nazi Fascists but disciplined representatives of the US Army Women Corps.

Tyler Perry’s The Six Triple Eight is a great service not just to cinema but also to the unglorified heroes whom we learn about in this movie. Fortunately for us, we can still see their lives as we stream on Netflix!

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