The Film Project
Indelible Narratives: African American Government Girls of WWII
HOW THIS PROJECT CAME ABOUT
This 30-minute documentary will tell the stories of the African American Government Girls, a remarkable group of young Black women who began working for the United States federal government during and after World War II. An extension of my 2015 doctoral dissertation for the University of St. Thomas, this video will rely on filmed interviews, historical images and personal reflections to offer a portrait of this pivotal episode in the history of Black America. While the film will recount many stirring stories, there is one I’m especially eager to share: the story of Government Girl Edith Brinn, my mother and my muse.
Edith's yearbook, Whirl-i-gig: A Pictorial Story of Midway Hall for Government Girls 1946, provided me with my first images of African American women who served as clerical workers in Washington, DC during World War II. Her story mirrors those of many African American women of her generation who passed civil service exams and were appointed to white-collar federal jobs. The photos and images used in this film will be drawn from a variety of sources including the Library of Congress, the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House, Howard University, and the personal archives of the women featured in this film. This film offers viewers of all ages the chance to discover and learn about a group of heroines who defied the conventional rules of society to become independent, wage-earning government employees.
We are now in an era when the untold narratives of the African American experience are taking center stage in the national conversation on race. The story of America’s Black Government Girls makes plain that unexpected opportunities can change the course of life for generations to come. It is my hope that their experiences will help illuminate our society’s conversation about what it means to be Black in America. This is the time for the Government Girls’ story to emerge from the shadows into the light of history.
Edith Brinn, Aura’s mother
