Black Women Admitted into WAVES in the US Navy, 1944

The Navy announced its decision to welcome blacks into the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services) on Oct. 19, 1944. Harriet Ida Pickens and Frances Elizabeth Wills were the first African American women who accepted the Navy’s invitation. By the war’s end on Sept. 2, 1945, 70 enlisted black WAVES joined Pickens and Wills. One of them, Chief Yeoman Edna Young became one of the first enlisted women sworn into the regular Navy on June 6, 1948.

Additional Resources on Black Women in the WAVES and Armed Forces

https://historianspeaks.org/blog/f/charity-adams-earley-us-army-first-female-officer (Army)

WAVES Trailblazers: Lt. j.g. Harriet Ida Pickens and Ensign Frances Wills, the first African-American WAVES officers - The Mariners' Museum and Park (marinersmuseum.org)

Pictorial History of Black Women in the US Navy during World War II and Beyond – Rediscovering Black History (archives.gov)

“We Made It, Friend”: The First African American Female Officers in the US Navy | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans (nationalww2museum.org)

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