Gregory S. Cooke

Gregory S. Cooke has dedicated his life as an educator and historian to help relocate African Americans to the main pages of history. He directed Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II, a critically acclaimed documentary about 600,000 “Rosie the Riveters” who triumph over systemic barriers to help win the war while securing new employment opportunities in industry and government for themselves and future generations of Black women. To support Rosies’ legacy, Basil and Becky Educational Foundation (501-c3), established April 5th as National Black Women’s Labor Day.

Some accomplishments include a President’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2024); Library of Congress: Teaching with Primary Sources (2023/2024); National World War II Museum advisory board member: “Fighting For The Right To Fight” (2024); inaugural recipient of the Better Angels/Lavine/Ken Burns Fellowship (2020); and the Congressional Black Caucus, Veterans Braintrust Award (2019). The Kingdom of the Netherlands was the largest contributor to Invisible Warriors completion.

Gregory has spoken at more than 90 educational, cultural and corporate venues, and has numerous media appearances including CBS Saturday Morning and Turner Classic Movies. His expertise about African American participation in World War II has him featured in documentaries: The Women of World War II (PBS 2025); World War II Battles in Color: The Bulge (Smithsonian); and My Father’s War: How Pearl Harbor Transformed America. He is the Associate Director on Choc’late Soldiers from the USA.

Gregory earned his BA/English, American International College, and MA/Journalism, The Ohio State University. Gregory helps former students navigate life and teaches them about the Spiritual ways of “The Force.”