ETSU’s Storytelling Program welcomed Charlotte Blake Alston and her one-woman performance entitled “Six-Triple-Eight” on Feb. 9. Her show was followed by a brief Q&A with students, staff and other guests.
Globally-praised storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston has been an active artist for more than 30 years, performing in venues across the nation and abroad.
Her original story, “Six-Triple Eight,” narrates World War II’s 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-female unit composed entirely of African American women. As the first female battalion to be deployed to the war overseas, these women experienced hostility and mistreatment.
By the close of the war, however, the battalion sent nearly 20 million letters and packages after a lengthy delay in the U.S. Army’s mail service.
Charlotte Blake Alston seeks to ensure their assistance to the war – and the entire United States – remains relevant, as their significant contributions are unknown to most.
“We are the country we are, but I don’t think we will ever be the country we could be if we continue to ignore these stories,” said Alston. “We do not have the right.”
In her post-performance talkback, Alston spoke on growing up in a segregated neighborhood of Philadelphia in the 1950s. Throughout her life, she has demonstrated the importance of telling African and African American stories in a traditional oral method.
Learn more about Charlotte Blake Alston at charlotteblakealston.com. For more information on ETSU storytelling, contact storytel@etsu.edu.
