Black women have proudly served in the U.S. Military but have often had their patriotism ignored and silenced in media and historical accounts.

Throughout history, they typically served as secretaries, chefs and nurses, while their male counterparts often went off to war. They were rarely promoted or treated as equals to men.

“They didn’t even allow Black people or women in the field I was in,” said Tresa Sanders, a Conyers-based entertainment publicist who spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy as a cryptologist. “However, the military helps give direction, discipline, organization, team spirit and the skills to be a great soldier and leader.”

Narratives about Black women in the military are now making their way into feature films. “The Six Triple Eight,” directed by Atlanta filmmaker Tyler Perry and starring actress Kerry Washington, tells the story of an all-Black woman postal battalion during World War II that sorted and organized backlogged mail and parcels to help reconnect soldiers with their loved ones.

The movie premiered on Netflix on Dec. 20, and is on the Oscars shortlist for the both original song and score.

Tyler Perry speaks onstage during the world premiere of Netflix's "The Six Triple Eight" at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on Dec. 3 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for Netflix)

Credit: Getty Images for Netflix

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Credit: Getty Images for Netflix

Perry hosted a screening of “The Six Triple Eight” for Black women soldiers and veterans in Atlantic Station in November. He told the audience he hopes the film will generate more interest in Black women in the armed forces.

“It is my hope and prayer that what we did was honor these women, because their stories are so important,” Perry said.

“We’re living in a time where books are being banned from schools and certain parts of our history are being ignored, but it’s all American history.”

Black women often enlist in the armed forces to pay for their education and escape poverty. Bernita Banks joined the U.S. Navy as a mess specialist in the naval hospital in 1986 but trained with the Marine Corps unit. Serving for eight years, she said the branch was her second choice.

“I’m the daughter of a 33-year Marine Corps veteran, and he treated us like we were in the military already,” she said.

“My first choice was the Marine Corp, but back in the ‘80s, it was not a place for a woman of color, so my father instructed me to try something else. I wasn’t happy, but I did.”

That commitment to service exposed them to ongoing racism and sexism. Basic training and boot camp often meant Black women regularly had lewd and derogatory comments hurled at them.

Wendy McClinton, who was active in the U.S. Army for 10 years beginning in 1985, said women were often given intense workouts to objectify them and downplay their stamina and endurance.

“They would utilize different conditions or make women do extensive calisthenics, so that they were able to view their posterities, breasts and bodies in a nonprofessional manner,” McClinton said.

Wendy McClinton, president-CEO of Black Veterans for Social Justice, gives a presentation before veterans in the military in New York. (Courtesy)

Credit: Black Veterans for Social Justice

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Credit: Black Veterans for Social Justice

McClinton said Black women veterans and active soldiers were sexually assaulted, harassed and touched inappropriately by their male counterparts, causing them to experience post-traumatic stress.

“It was ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell,’ because you were part of a good old boys club,” McClinton said. “There were various times in the barracks in the middle of the night where women would be crying, because the people that committed those injustices are the same people who were decision makers.”

Banks, a veteran services coordinator at Atlanta Technical College, said she was frowned upon by her superiors in the fleet hospital during training when she reported being raped.

“It was my word against theirs. I was looked down upon, and no one listened to me,” she said.

Sgt. Judith Cotten, an Atlanta-area resident from Brooklyn, New York, who served in the U.S. Army for 22 years, regularly saw Black women soldiers being mistreated and shamed by men. She said mentorship and forging sisterhood with other Black women helped them overcome trauma.

“The women didn’t feel secure or strong enough to approach the situation. They were in fear, because they thought their rank would be taken away, so they usually kept things within and sheltered themselves,” she said.

“The military gave me great friendships. We had to let them know it was OK to speak up and not have to take abuse.”

Transitioning to civilian life after active duty in the military is a hard adjustment. Black women veterans have difficulty receiving adequate medical care, stable housing and employment.

Sanders said applying for disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is a hassle.

“They don’t treat us right afterward. You get exposed to Agent Orange, asbestos, knees going out from working out all the time and sleep disorders from working different shifts, but they deny you all day long for things that happen to you while you’re in the military,” Sanders said.

“We don’t get paid enough for putting our lives on the line, protecting this country and being ready for war.”

Cotten said the military should offer courses and support to veterans and active soldiers on financial literacy.

“The military doesn’t supply the proper information. They just let you checkout and leave on your own,” she said. “People need to learn how to leave a legacy and make investments so that when they get out, they’re not starting all over again.”

Black women in the armed forces today serve in roles outside of clerical and domestic work. They are becoming ranking officers and fighter pilots more frequently, now that support groups and advocacy organizations exist to ensure Black women veterans receive recognition for their service and sacrifices.

The National Association of Black Military Women helps document and preserve their contributions with conferences and memorials.

Cotten is president and national secretary of NABMW’s Atlanta chapter, which was founded in 2008. She said the organization is working closely with the Library of Congress to record more narratives about Black women in the military. She hopes schools will add curriculum on Black women veterans.

“We have to get our stories told, because students’ faces light up with shock when they hear that Black women are in the Army,” she said. “They don’t learn about us, and it’s unfair.”

Members of the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Black Military Women attend screening of 'The Six Triple Eight' at Regal Atlantic Station in Atlanta on Nov. 18. (Courtesy of Netflix)

Credit: Netflix

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Credit: Netflix

McClinton has been the president and CEO of Black Veterans for Social Justice, a nonprofit organization headquartered in New York that helps connect Black veterans with local programs and services to obtain a sustainable life.

Homeless for a year after she left the Army, McClinton said the organization is prioritizing soldiers and veterans with families. “When I transitioned out, it was a whole new world. My son got sick while we were in a shelter from coming in contact with asbestos, and the VA told me they didn’t service children,” she said.

“My motivation is to make sure that nobody else goes through it.”


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