The True Story of Tyler Perry’sThe Six Triple Eight: How Black Women Defied Odds to Complete Key WWII Mission (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Saving Private Ryan,Pearl Harbor,A Soldier’s Story,Schindler’s List. Countless films aboutWorld War IItell emotional stories from different perspectives.

ButTyler Perrynotes one glaring omission. “When I look at movies that were set in this time,” he says, “there hasn’t been one for Black women.”

Director Tyler Perry with the cast of the ‘The Six Triple Eight.'.Laura Radford / Perry Well Films 2 / Courtesy of Netflix

Laura Radford / Perry Well Films 2 / Courtesy of Netflix

One Pennsylvania teen, Lena Derriecott King — the heart of the movie — knew the anguish of waiting to hear from a loved one and the devastation of receiving horrible news: Her dear high school friend Abram served overseas and was killed in combat. King (Ebony Obsidian) fell to pieces.

“She loved him deeply,” Obsidian says. Then the resilient young woman picked herself up and joined the war effort in 1943.

“She joined the Six Triple Eight to honor him,” says historian Kevin Hymel, who interviewed King for the 2019WWII History Magazinearticle that Perry adapted into the movie.

Ebony Obsidian as Lena Derriecott King (left) in ‘The Six Triple Eight.’ The real Derriecott (right) in an undated photo.Netflix

Netflix

Once enlisted, King met a disparate group of Black women from all around the U.S., including Major Adams, a 26-year-old from South Carolina who projected a confidence beyond her years.

That is, until First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Susan Sarandon) and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune (Oprah Winfrey) pressured Army leaders to allow Black women to show their skills.

Susan Sarandon and Oprah Winfrey (top) play with Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune (below).Bob Mahoney/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy of Netflix; Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Bob Mahoney/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy of Netflix; Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Bethune, who had Roosevelt’s ear, “was such an advocate of women’s rights and knew who Charity Adams was — she knew that she could handle those responsibilities,” says Hymel.

“They were given zero training, poor facilities,” Hymel notes of the women, who worked in dank, rat-infested buildings with no heat. Threats came from enemies and supposed comrades in arms: German bombers buzzed overhead while racist U.S. soldiers menaced the women.

The poor conditions united the members of the Six Triple Eight — the unofficial name of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion — who completed their mission ahead of schedule.

“They’re bonded not just from the common journey of becoming soldiers together,” says Washington. “They also were united against the forces of misogyny and racism within our own armed forces. So there was an unbreakable sisterhood.”

Kerry Washington and Milauna Jackson in ‘The Six Triple Eight.'.Laura Radford/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy of Netflix

Laura Radford/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy of Netflix

That carried over to the movie’s set. One day when there was downtime, Washington and actress, producer and dancer Debbie Allen, the film’s choreographer, held a live “ask me anything” session with the cast.

“We said, ‘What do you guys want to know?’ We talked about balancing children with career. We talked about where we found our husbands,” remembers Washington, who shares three children with her husband, actor and former NFL star Nnamdi Asomugha. “We talked about everything, and that was such a gift.”

There wasn’t much time for hanging out, though. Perry filmed quickly, eager to show King, one of the last surviving members of the unit, the final cut of her story. Washington marveled at Perry’s “efficiency” and brisk pace: “ ‘Well-oiled machine’ doesn’t even begin to describe it,” she says, smiling at the memory.

Tyler Perry on Dec. 4.Leon Bennett/FilmMagic

Leon Bennett/FilmMagic

Like the women of the Six Triple Eight, Perry completed his mission, and he traveled to see King at her Las Vegas home before she died on Jan. 18, 2024, at age 100.

He showed her the film on his iPad. “We sat and watched, and she was saluting the iPad and right back in the moment,” recalls Perry. “After, she cried and said, ‘Thank you for letting the world know that Black women contributed.’ ”

The Six Triple Eightis now streaming on Netflix.

Scott Huver

andTopher Gauk-Roger

Topher Gauk-Roger

source: people.com