War changes everything and it was war that changed the policy of the Navy to admit black women in World War I.
The Navy was woefully short of yoemen, those uniformed personnel who served as office managers and performed clerical and administrative duties. Because of this, 11,000 women were admitted to the Navy and, among them, The Golden Fourteen, black, female, uniformed yeoman, according to Atlas Obscura.
They worked under the tutelage of John T Risher, a black Navy civil servant in Washington, D.C., according to Richard E. Miller of LestWeForget. Risher's job was to keep an accurate account of deployed Navy servicemen during time of war, according to Montford Point Marines. He was also responsible for staffing his Muster Roll office and he did so, with the first black Navy yoewomen.
Risher later told an author that the black yoewomen were "cool, clear-headed and well-poised." Their demeanor, he said, was appropriate both on and off duty.
Today, few records exist that record the work of the Golden Fourteen, but research is underway among the great-grandchildren of the women to see if any stories still exist in families.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
