Shivering from the cold, Major Charity Adams Earley marched down the aisle, inspecting each woman’s skirt, jacket and hat - starched and pressed as sharp as catfish gills: They were Black. They were beautiful. They delivered wartime mail.
But the day the racist chaplain ordered them to his office was the worst.
Excited to get to work, they filed into the chaplain’s office, forming tight lines. His blue eyes pierced them with disgust.
“Where’s the mail?” Early demanded. Not there. He’d lied AND reported them AWOL!
But she outranked him! Her soldiers risked their lives to do this dangerous job - AS ALWAYS.
Europeans treated them better than their fellow countrymen!
“DON’T MESS WITH MY SOLDIERS,” Major Early ordered, shocking him, and led the women out.
When they arrived at THE REAL location, letters and packages were piled to the ceiling! Early organized three daily shifts, cutting the six-month timeline in half!
What happened to the chaplain?
He left her alone. The 6888th suffered injuries, some sadly dying - but they earned respect.
Today Black women postal workers still face unsafe conditions that are ignored by the government. From these brave women, we learned that while protecting ourselves from harm we can maintain our self-respect in the face of oppression!