A story of ‘courage and resilience’ marks Yale’s MLK Commemoration

During Yale’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration event this week, U.S. Army Col. (Ret.) Edna W. Cummings, a military veteran and civil rights advocate, called to mind one of the enduring aims of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution: “to form a more perfect union.” 

Since the nation’s founding, Cummings said, this work has been iterative, with each generation bearing a responsibility to continue it. 

“Back when the Constitution was written, it was evident that things would change over and over again,” Cummings said during the event, held at Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall on Jan. 29, which was livestreamed. “Every day we want to get better and better, where we strive to repair inequities and build and sustain those connections to shape our generation’s legacy and strengthen our communities.”

The same kind of commitment defines the legacy of Dr. King, the iconic civil rights leader whom Cummings described as a “warrior” in the “ongoing battle for respect and dignity for marginalized citizens.”

But it’s also true for a group of lesser-known heroes whose story has received long-overdue recognition thanks to Cummings herself: the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only Women’s Army Corps battalion of all Black women and women of color deployed overseas during World War II.

The battalion, also known as the “Six Triple Eight,” resolved a massive, years-long backlog of mail for U.S. soldiers in just a few months, helping boost morale during a critical time in the war. Their story, however, was largely unknown for decades until, in 2018, Cummings launched an effort to bring recognition to the battalion — including co-producing an award-winning documentary about the unit.

In 2022 the battalion received a Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor awarded by the U.S. Congress.

“[Col.] Cummings told their story,” said Kimberly M. Goff-Crews, the secretary and vice president for student life at Yale, in her welcoming remarks at the MLK event. “She led a grassroots campaign to honor them, and the 6888 received long overdue recognition… And the public had a new understanding of what service can look like.” 

Added Cummings: “Our nation’s history is filled with stories of courage and resilience and acts that haven’t been recognized. But all these acts have worked, sometimes in strides, towards that more perfect union, that more perfect society.”

During a 25-year military career, Cummings held leadership posts at Georgetown University’s Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program, the Pentagon, and the U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)/U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM).

Following her keynote address, Cummings joined New Haven radio host, journalist, and community leader Babz Rawls-Ivy for a conversation on how society can “repair the record and build connection” by bringing untold stories to light and fostering genuine community across generations.

Every person and every family have a unique, important story to tell, Cummings told the audience, which included members of the Yale and New Haven communities. “So, I encourage you to talk to the people in your family, learn their legacy,” she said. “Because we’ll never know the impact of these stories until they’re told.”

The event was presented by the 2026 Yale & New Haven MLK Commemoration Committee, the Yale Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life, and the Yale College Dean’s Office in collaboration with Yale Schwarzman Center.

The commemoration was part of a series of events held on the Yale campus and across New Haven this month to honor and reflect on the legacy of the late civil rights leader.