MOVIE OF THE WEEK February 6, 2026: INVISIBLE WARRIORS: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN WORLD WAR II
Part Hidden Figures, part A League of Their Own, part The Tuskegee Airmen, director Gregory Cooke’s compelling documentary Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II tells the story of the more than 600,000 Black women who helped keep the United States’ home fires (and forges) burning during WWII but have never received much in the way of thanks — or credit — for their contributions to the country’s war efforts.
Through interviews with women who found themselves working in assembly lines, factories, shipbuilding facilities, war offices, and more after so many men were called to the front lines, historian/educator Cooke explores the way that the changes in their lives during the war reflected — and helped challenge — racism in the United States. Their ability to pursue jobs in the war industrial complex was made possible when President Franklin D. Roosevelt, under significant pressure from civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph and others, issued Executive Order 8802 in June 1941, forbidding racial discrimination in the defense industry.
But that didn’t mean the women were welcomed by their new co-workers with open arms. Far from it. Woven throughout the film are painful stories of rampant prejudice and abuse, from White women walking out of jobs in protest when Black women walked in, to Black women being sexually assaulted by White male supervisors, to the fact that segregation and Jim Crow laws ensured that every Black person serving in and around the military was treated, at best, like a second-class citizen.
All of that said, thinking back on that time still brings the interviewees feelings of pride and satisfaction. They know their contributions mattered — to the people they loved who were deployed overseas, to their fellow U.S. citizens at home, and to themselves, for learning new skills, trying new things, and, in many cases, becoming breadwinners for their families. Many also gained the confidence to keep pushing back at the forces that were trying to hold them back, continuing the fight for their rights and others’. And none of them should ever be forgotten. — Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Nell Minow: It’s impossible to say which is more compelling — the beautiful faces of the young Black women who served a country that never acknowledged their humanity or the radiant beauty of those women telling their stories with dedication and dignity, half a century later. It is a privilege to witness this long-overdue appreciation of their courage and patriotism.
Sherin Nicole Gregory S. Cooke’s documentary Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II is a reclaimed history that makes you feel the past in real time. Through sharp interviews, archival material, and the lived-in specificity of memory, it restores visibility to the 600,000 Black women who served the country during the Second World War—women who wore the coveralls, followed orders, solved problems, and endured the double bind of patriotism and prejudice. They were as much a part of the country’s backbone as vertebrae, and they stood strong as riveters with arms of steel.
Leslie Combemale Invisible Warriors captures first person interviews with a number of African American Rosie the Riveters who worked for victory in WW2 in war production and US government offices. They often took on the most dangerous jobs in the factories, as exampled by one interviewee who talked about handling TNT, even getting TNT poisoning, and an other who worked at Dupont making gunpowder. The documentary also puts these women into the larger context of the Black American experience before during and after WW2, like the fact that so many of the soldiers and women who patriotically risked their lives abroad and at home were not allowed to vote. This is a fascinating profile of women important to our history, with interviews capturing these first hand accounts just in time, as so many who can share them are dying out, and their stories would otherwise die with them.
Jennifer Merin Make no mistake about it, Invisible Warriors: Africa American in World War II is an important documentary that brings to awareness another chapter in the U.S.’s heinous history of racial and gender disrimination. In it, filmmaker Gregory Cooke interviews Black women elder citizens who tell of their experiences as civilian and quasi-military workers who supported the U.S. fighting forces during World War II. They were then young women who left their hometowns and families and relocated to industrial centers where they filled jobs that were left open by men who’d been recruited to fight on the front lines. These women’s contibutions to the war effort were beyond essential, their skills were more than mighty and their patriotism and dedication to duty were unassailable. Yet, as Black women, they faced unforgettable and unforgiveable racial and gender discrimination that impacted every aspect of their work and personal lives at that time and up to the present. Read full review.
Sandie Angulo Chen: Filmmaker Gregory Cooke’s documentary Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II insightfully explores the pivotal role Black women played during World War II. While the iconic Rosie the Riveter image is depicted as white, more than 600,000 African American women labored in service of the nation’s war effort. Through interviews with scholars and women who held a range of federal and industrial jobs, Cooke—whose own mother worked as a wartime typist—amplifies the voices of Black women who faced discrimination yet showed up to support both their families and their country. Concise but powerful, the documentary serves as a meaningful primer on the sociopolitical impact of the Black women who donned coveralls to perform dangerous and essential work.
Loren King One would hope that writer-director Gregory S. Cooke’s moving and powerful documentary Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II is screened in educational settings across the country. The film gives voice to Black women from all areas of the country and all walks of life who joined the workforce to contribute to the war effort during World War II. They describe not just the demanding roles they served with pride but the racist, sexist and unjust social conditions they had to endure. It’s a testament to courage and survival. Archival footage and images provide the painful and maddening context of how repressive and discriminatory the 1940s were for African Americans, with added sexism for women. From laws that limited women’s employment opportunities to domestic service to stores that would not let Black shoppers try on clothing to routine acts of hate and violence, these women provide vivid first person historical accounts. It is essential, now more than ever, to hear these stories of dignity and determination despite an often hostile environment while these women are still alive to bear witness.
Liz Whittemore Superbly crafted with beautiful archival photographs, newsreel footage, and intimate sit-down interviews, Invisible Warriors: Africa American in World War II is the history lesson we’ve been missing all along. Further proof that the economic backbone of this country was built upon the shoulders of Black women, this tangible portrait of those who shifted culture is a reminder that we have a duty to uncover the truth. It reminds us of the profound importance of documentary filmmaking, particularly in a period of our history when corrupt powers that be seek to erase it. Invisible Warriors: Africa American in World War II is perfect for classroom viewing. school. This is truly vital viewing.
Cate Marquis You didn’t see their faces on those Rosie the Riveter posters but they were there, working the factories and doing the jobs needed to win the war. Black women did their part in the war effort as well, and did it while enduring prejudice, discrimination, harassment and Jim Crow laws. Invisible Warriors: Africa American in World War II is an excellent documentary that presents first-person stories of some of these women, who served patriotically yet whose efforts went unrecognized. Through on-camera interviews, archival footage and stills, filmmaker Gregory Cooke gives these too-long invisible Black women the chance to be heard at last. And not only do we hear about their wartime experiences, but also their experiences in the Great Depression and early days of the Civil Rights era, in this enriching documentary.
FILM DETAILS:
Title: Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II
Directors: Gregory S. Cooke
Release Date: February 3, 2026
Running Time: 65 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriters: Dcumentary
Lead Characters: Susan King, Marian Reid
Distribution Company: Vision Films
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Sherin Nicole, Liz Whittemore
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Edited by Jennifer Merin
