Join the National Park Service for a virtual presentation on the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the mostly Black, all-female unit deployed overseas during World War II.
Join Park Rangers from the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers Monument Park Ranger to discuss the work of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a unit of black, Mexican, and Caribbean descent women. More information about their incredible contributions can be found on the Monument's website here.
From the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers Monument website:
"First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune successfully pushed for the admittance of Black women into the WAC. Mail written to the troops would be sent overseas to Europe and processed by a postal battalion, but by 1945 multiple warehouses in Birmingham, England contained mail for soldiers that had not been distributed. The backlog would take six months to process. At the time, there were about 7 million American soldiers and government workers in Europe. Service members were frustrated about not receiving their letters.
The challenge was to get the mail out in a timely manner. There were postal personnel stationed in Birmingham, but not enough to alleviate the problem. Various African American organizations demanded that Black women in the WAC get the same opportunity to serve overseas. In 1944 the War Department gave in to their demands, and the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was created."
Photo from Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers Monument website, from the National Archives: Major Charity E. Adams and Captain Mary Kearney inspect members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in England on February 15, 1945.
Contact the Adult and Teen Services Desk at ATS@dglibrary.org or call (630) 960-1200 with questions.
AGE GROUP: | Seniors | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Virtual Program | Registration Required | Lectures |
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