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As the stars of Tyler Perry‘s The Six Triple Eight reunited on the red carpet during the Los Angeles premiere of the upcoming Netflix war film, rapper Big Sean revealed a special connection to the story — which finds Kerry Washington in the lead role of the real-life Charity Adams, commanding officer of the 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion during World War II and the highest-ranking African American woman in the Army at that time. Big Sean’s grandmother was one of the 855 who served in the only Women’s Army Corps unit of color during the battle.

“I told Tyler Perry how thankful I was because it’s such an overlooked crucial piece of American history and Black history,” Big Sean told The Hollywood Reporter as he walked the red carpet with his mother, both holding framed pictures of his grandmother. “The 6888 battalion connected millions and millions with over 17 million pieces of mail where there was no other means of communication to families and information about loved ones. They were fighting their own war being strong Black women during segregation and fighting for their country.

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