What a full-circle moment for the family!
Tyler Perry has been making his rounds in anticipation of the upcoming release of his film about the only Women’s Army Corps unit of color during World War II. The film has been in the work for a number of years. It focuses on the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a group of women tasked with sorting and delivering mail to soldiers overseas during WWII. For 75 years, their story went untold, with Perry working to bring their story of heroism to the forefront. At the recent Los Angeles premiere of The Six Triple Eight, rapper Big Sean attended, revealing that his late grandmother, Mildred V. Leonard, was one of the 855 Black women who served in the battalion, Complex reports.
“I told Tyler Perry how thankful I was because it’s such an overlooked crucial piece of American history and Black history,” Sean told reporters.
He attended the premiere with family and his mom, holding pictures of the late matriarch in her honor. In 2022, Leonard, along with other members of the battalion, was awarded a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal by President Joe Biden for her role as one of the first Black women captains in the service. The rapper acknowledged how momentous this was for his family as they looked at Leonard’s name engraved on a wall at the premiere and in the film’s credits. He acknowledged the bravery of the women and the necessity of their story finally being told.
“It was an honor for our family to represent her. As much as my whole family loves Tyler Perry, Kerry Washington, [and] Oprah ( she watched the Oprah show every day), I know having her name at the end listed among so many other strong women is [a] miracle and [an] honor. I can’t wait to show my son what his great-grandmother was apart of when he’s older,” Sean captioned a recap post of the premiere.
The film, directed by Perry, stars Kerry Washington as Charity Adams, the commanding officer of the 6888 Battalion and one of the highest-ranking Black women in the Army at the time. Perry told reporters he was deeply moved by their story and decided to bring it to the big screen after meeting surviving 6888 battalion member Lena King, Vibe reports. Perry hopes the new film will honor the women’s legacy and the sacrifices they made for this country.
The Six Triple Eight premieres on Netflix on December 20th.
Cover photo: Big Sean Reveals Heartwarming Personal Connection to Real ‘Six Triple Eight’ at Tyler Perry Movie Premiere/Photo credit: Presley Ann/Getty Images/Netflix