[2] With Frances Wills, she was one of the first two African American women commissioned by the United States Navy, and the first to achieve the rank of lieutenant.

[5] At the time of her enlistment in the Navy, Pickens was working as an executive secretary at the Harlem Tuberculosis and Health Committee.

[5] Following Knox's sudden death in April 1944, the pressure was increased, and on October 19, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized their inclusion in the WAVES - which was to be fully integrated.

[5] Harriet Pickens, along with social worker Frances Wills, were chosen as the first African American female recruits.

[5] After the war, Harriet Pickens returned to work as a public health administrator for the Harlem Tuberculosis Office and the New York City Commission on Human Rights.