Charity Adams Earley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charity Adams Earley
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| Birth name | Charity Edna Adams |
| Born | December 5, 1918 Columbia, South Carolina, US |
| Died | January 13, 2002 (aged 83) Dayton, Ohio, US |
| Buried |
Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum
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| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ |
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| Years of service | 1942 − 1946 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel  |
| Unit | 3rd Company, 3rd Training Regiment WAAC, Fort Des Moines |
| Commands held | 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion |
| Awards | Ohio Women's Hall of Fame; The Smithsonian Institution: 100 Most Important Black Women in History; South Carolina Black Hall of Fame; Top Ten Women of the Miami Valley Dayton Daily News; Service to the Community Award; Senior Citizens Gold Watch Award; Ohio Veterans Hall of Famed; named citizen of the year by The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners; the BellSouth African-American History Calendar; honorary doctorates from Wilberforce University and the University of Dayton |
| Spouse(s) | Stanley A. Earley (m.1949) |
| Other work | Educator |
Charity Adams Earley (December 5, 1918 – January 13, 2002) was a brave American United States Army officer. She made history as the first African-American woman to become an officer in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). Later, she led the first group of African-American women soldiers to serve overseas during World War II. By the end of the war, Adams was the highest-ranking African-American woman in the entire army.
Her unit, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, had a special motto: "No Mail, Low Morale." This showed how important their job was. A monument honoring these amazing women was built at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 2018.
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Early Life and Education
Charity Adams was born on December 5, 1918, in Kittrell, North Carolina. She grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. Her parents strongly believed in education. Her father was a minister and a college graduate, and her mother was a schoolteacher.
Charity was the oldest of four children. She was the top student when she graduated from Booker T. Washington High School. In 1938, she graduated from Wilberforce University in Ohio. She studied math and physics there. After college, she taught math in Columbia. She also studied psychology part-time at Ohio State University, earning her master's degree in 1946.
Army Career
Adams joined the U.S. Army's Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in July 1942. She was the first African-American woman to become an officer in this group. At that time, the U.S. Army was still segregated. This meant Black and white soldiers were kept separate.
She was placed in a company with other African-American women officers. They were stationed at Fort Des Moines. In 1943, she became a training supervisor at the base.
In early 1944, Adams got a new job. She became the Training Center control officer. Her role was to make training more efficient. She also helped find lost property and handled minor issues for the women soldiers.
In December 1944, Adams led the only group of Black WACs (Women's Army Corps) to serve overseas. They went to Birmingham, England. The women became friends with the local people. This helped break down old ideas about race. Adams was put in charge of a postal service unit. She also helped keep the women's spirits high by creating beauty parlors where they could relax.
In March 1945, she became the commanding officer of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. This was the first group of African-American women to serve as a battalion. They were first in Birmingham, then moved to Rouen, France, and later to Paris. Their big job was to deliver mail to over seven million soldiers during World War II.
By the end of the war, Lieutenant Colonel Adams was the highest-ranking African-American woman in the military. When asked about her amazing achievements, she simply said, "I just wanted to do my job." She left the army in 1946.
Fighting for Equality in the Army
Growing up in the South, Adams faced many challenges because of segregation. When she joined the Army, she still experienced unfair treatment. But she was brave and spoke up against it.
One of her first fights for equality happened when the Army wanted to separate training groups by race. Adams was asked to lead one of these segregated groups. She refused. Because of her strong stand, the Army decided not to create separate groups.
Another time, a general told her he would send a white officer to show her how to run her unit. Major Adams bravely replied, "Over my dead body, sir." The general threatened to have her face a military trial. But Adams started to file charges against him for using racist language. In the end, both dropped the matter. The general later came to respect Adams.
When the Red Cross offered equipment for a new segregated recreation center, Adams said no. Her unit had been sharing a recreation center with white units, and she wanted things to stay fair.
Adams encouraged her battalion to socialize with white soldiers and local people. She wanted to build friendships between everyone. This helped to ease racial tensions.
Life After the Army
After her time in the Army, Charity Adams earned a master's degree in psychology. She worked at the Veterans Administration in Cleveland, Ohio. Later, she taught at the Miller Academy of Fine Arts.
She then moved to Nashville, Tennessee. There, she was the director of student personnel at Tennessee A&I College. After that, she moved to Georgia. She became the director of student personnel and an assistant professor at Georgia State College.
Helping Her Community
Adams spent much of her life after the war helping her community. She served on many important boards, like the Dayton Power and Light and the American Red Cross. She also volunteered for groups such as United Way and the United Negro College Fund. She helped lead the Black Leadership Development Program.
Personal Life
In 1949, Charity Adams married Stanley A. Earley, Jr. They lived in Switzerland for a while when Stanley was in medical school. In 1952, they returned to the U.S. and settled in Dayton, Ohio. They had two children, Stanley III and Judith.
Charity Adams Earley passed away on January 13, 2002, in Dayton. She was 83 years old.
Awards and Honors
Charity Adams Earley received many awards for her service and leadership.
- In 1946, she was named Woman of the Year by the National Council of Negro Women.
- She was listed in the Smithsonian Institution's "110 Most Important Historical Black Women" in 1982.
- She was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1979.
- In 1993, she joined the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.
- She was also honored in the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame.
- In 1991, she was named Citizen of the Year by Montgomery County.
- She received special honorary degrees from Wilberforce University and the University of Dayton in 1991.
A great honor came on August 8, 2022. The U.S. Department of Defense decided to rename Fort Lee (Virginia). This army post will now be called Fort Gregg-Adams. It is named after Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg and Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley. This change will happen by January 1, 2024.
