Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II features elegant ladies, now in their 80s and 90s, who represent the 600,000 Black women who fled lives as domestics and sharecroppers to work in factories and governments offices. They were the first! Affectionately known during the war as "Rosie the Riveters," our Warriors triumphed over racism at home, Nazism abroad, and sexism everywhere. They opened doors of opportunity for future generations of working women in America.
Who We Are
Gregory S. Cooke
is the Founder and Executive Officer of the Basil and Becky Educational Foundation. As a long-time educator and historian, he is dedicated to helping "relocate" African Americans from the "margins to the main pages" of American and global history.
Gregory teaches Writing and Film at Drexel University in Philadelphia. He earned his M.A. in Journalism from The Ohio State University, and a B.A. in English from American International College.
Gina Cooke
is a life-long educator and currently teaches at The Community College of Philadelphia. She is a retired Teacher of English and Screenwriting from the School District of Philadelphia.
Gina created the iconic images, in oils, "Victory" and "Allies", for two World War II documentaries.
Gina earned an MA in Education, MEd in Counseling from The College of New Jersey, and a BA in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania.
Sabrina Young
is a Veteran of the United State Air Force and currently works at Penn Medicine as a Marketing Analyst. Sabrina has a deep commitment and passion to serve others which she demonstrates through her support to Penn Medicine’s Penn Platoon, her own Health and Wellness business and volunteer services to non-profit organizations. Sabrina earned a Bachelor’s of Science from Bellevue University in Bellevue Nebraska and is currently pursuing her MBA at St. Joseph’s University.
Biodun Ope
is Pastor at Living Spring Center in Philadelphia where he serves his congregation with "passion, empathy and humility." Biodun began his ministerial studies in his native, Lagos, Nigeria. As one of 19 children, Pastor Ope was born into a family that stresses education as a means of self-determination and making positive change in the world.
Pastor Ope earned a Business Administration degree from Cheyney University.
Dr. Reginald F. Wells
has a distinguished career as a public servant in the US Government. He is currently the Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Office of Human Resources after serving as Deputy Associate Commissioner for Disability Program Policy and Senior Advisor in the Office of Disability and Income Security Programs.
Reggie earned a Ph.D. in Social and Organizational Psychology from Temple University, and a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from American International College.
