Harriet Ida Pickens and Frances Eliza Wills became the first female African American U.S. Navy officers in 1944

December 26

On December 26, 1944, Harriet Ida Pickens and Frances Eliza Wills became the first African American female U.S. Navy officers. 

In October of 1944, President Roosevelt and the U.S. Navy announced the decision to allow African Americans into the Navy. Shortly thereafter Harriet Ida Pickens and Frances Eliza Wills were selected to enlist in the U.S. Navy.

Despite the integration of the U.S. Navy in 1944, African American men and women still faced discrimination, racism and lack of representation.

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Sources

AMERICA250: Navy veteran Harriet Pickens. VA News. (2022, February 24). Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://news.va.gov/98241/america250-navy-veteran-harriet-pickens/