An army unit known as the “Six Triple Eight” had a specific mission in World War II: to sort and clear a two-year backlog of mail for Americans stationed in Europe. Between the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Red Cross and uniformed civilian specialists, that amounted to seven million people waiting for mail.

And the responsibility to deliver all of it fell on the shoulders of 855 African-American women.

“If you WILL NOT FIGHT for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you WILL NOT FIGHT when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you WILL HAVE TO FIGHT with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. YOU MAY HAVE TO FIGHT when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.” STAND TALL, ALL. ****