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Major Charity E. Adams and Captain Mary Kearney inspect the 6888th

Major Charity E. Adams (right) and Captain Mary Kearney (left) inspect the 6888th Battalion in England on February 15, 1945. NAID: 531249, local ID: 111-SC-200791.

The 688th Battalion in formation, awaiting inspection

The 688th Battalion in formation, awaiting inspection. Battalion members stand in front of their Women’s Army Corps quarters in England. Photograph by Pfc. George Holt, February 15, 1945. NAID: 175539133, local ID: 111-SC-200585.

Virginia Lane in uniform

Virginia Lane in her Army uniform, ca. 1944. Printed in the St. Paul Recorder, March 9, 1945, 1.

Frazier, Virginia Lane (1921–2012)

Virginia Lane Frazier was one of the first Black US Army’s Women’s Corps (WAC) soldiers to enlist in Minnesota during World War II. She served with the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a unit made up entirely of Black women that was stationed in England between February and November of 1945. The battalion won praise for clearing a backlog of mail that provided solace to American soldiers in combat.

Henrietta Barclay Paist

Henrietta Barclay Paist, ca. 1895–1899.

Gratia Alta Countryman at a luncheon

Gratia Alta Countryman (left) and an unidentified woman at a luncheon, March 20, 1936.

Dakota lace makers in Morton

Dakota lace makers display their work at a photography studio in Morton, Minnesota (Birch Coulee), ca. 1900. Pictured are (left to right): Mary Wabasha, Lucy Thomas, Amelia St. Clair, Julia Jones, Julia Lawrence, and Hanna Wells. Collection III.40.102, Minnesota Historical Society.