October 19, 1944 | Harriet Ida Pikens and Frances Wills
The Navy’s WAVES (Women Accepted For Volunteer Emergency Service) accepted Harriet Ida Pikens and Frances Wills on October 19, 1944 as the first African American women in the United States Navy. Both women graduated two months later becoming the first two African American female officers in the Navy.
![By Unknown or not provided (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons "Lt.(jg.) Harriet Ida Pickens and Ens. Frances Wills, first Negro Waves to be commissioned. They were members of the fin - NARA - 520670](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/%22Lt.%28jg.%29_Harriet_Ida_Pickens_and_Ens._Frances_Wills%2C_first_Negro_Waves_to_be_commissioned._They_were_members_of_the_fin_-_NARA_-_520670.jpg/256px-%22Lt.%28jg.%29_Harriet_Ida_Pickens_and_Ens._Frances_Wills%2C_first_Negro_Waves_to_be_commissioned._They_were_members_of_the_fin_-_NARA_-_520670.jpg)
“Lt. (JG) Harriet Ida Pickens and Ens. Frances Wills”, the first African American Waves to be commissioned.