More than 23.3 million viewers watched Netflix’s The Six Triple Eight, the World War II movie about the battalion of 855 Black women and women of color who untangled three-year backlog of mail (17 million pieces of it). By doing this, they dramatically improved the country’s morale.

The movie is dedicated to “the life, service and memory” of entertainment mogul Clarence Avant and his wife, philanthropist Jacqueline Avant.

Their daughter, diplomat-turned-film producer Nicole Avant was the person who brought the incredible untold true story to Tyler Perry’s attention.

When Nicole was a little girl, Jacqueline told her about Major Charity Adams (portrayed by Kerry Washington), the first African American woman to become an officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. But Nicole doesn’t remember her mother mentioning that Adams commanded the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (or the Six Triple Eight, as they were known) or their heroics during World War II. So, when Nicole received a sizzle reel from a team of filmmakers looking to bring the story to the big screen, she showed her mom the video.