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In 1998, the Black Hollywood
Education and Resource Center founded the
Port Chicago Survivors Support Committee
to spearhead a nationwide campaign on behalf
of black World War II veterans charged with
mutiny in 1944. The campaign began with
a nationwide search for the black survivors
of the nation's worst domestic military
disaster during World War II. A write-in
campaign urged President Clinton to expunge
the charges of mutiny from the records of
the black sailors who survived the tragedy.
More than 62,000 Americans supported the
campaign with letters to the President.
July 17, 1999:
The BHERC honored the Port Chicago Survivors
on the 55th anniversary of the disaster.
"A Day to Remember" ceremonies
were held at the site of a memorial monument
and at the Golden Gate National Cemetery
in the Bay Area, the final resting-place
for many of those killed in the tragedy.
"It was very emotional," said
Evers-Manly. "The men had an opportunity
to share their memories of the split second
in time that changed all their lives forever."
February 22,
1998: The BHERC sponsored "Remembering
the Men of Port Chicago," the largest
reunion of survivors of the tragedy, and
honored them during Black History Month
in Los Angeles. The men were also flown
to Sacramento were they were honored by
Assemblyman Roderick Wright, 48th District,
and other legislators. Wright's resolution
calling for the President to pardon the
Port Chicago Survivors passed unanimously.
Wright, Congressmen George Miller and Pete
Stark, and former Congressman Ron Dellums
worked closely with BHERC in the historic
campaign for justice for the Port Chicago
Survivors.
July 17, 1944:
At 10:20 p.m. two devastating explosions
killed and injured more than 700 U.S. Navy
personnel as munitions were loaded on Liberty
Ships at the Port Chicago Naval Weapons
Station, near San Francisco. Of the 320
fatalities, 202 were African-American seamen,
15 percent of all black servicemen killed
during all of World War II. Weeks after
the tragedy, 258 black sailors were ordered
to return to the dangerous duty, though
white servicemen were given leaves after
the tragedy. The black sailors refused to
load munitions under unsafe conditions and
were arrested and charged with mutiny. Threatened
with the death penalty, 208 sailors returned
to the high-risk duty - reserved for "blacks
only" - and the remaining 50 were court-martialed
and sentenced to 17 years in prison.
"During World War
II, black seamen stationed at Port Chicago
were assigned to menial work and, though
not trained for the duty, the loading of
munitions on Liberty Ships under extremely
unsafe working conditions," according
to Sandra Evers-Manly. While noted NAACP
legal counsel Thurgood Marshall was instrumental
in the release of the black sailors from
prison, he failed to have the mutiny convictions
removed from their military records.
The Port Chicago
Survivors Support Committee's campaign
for justice generated keen interest from
the television and film industries, resulting
in the production of two television documentaries
on the disaster and survivors. "Mutiny,"
a motion picture produced by award-winning
actor Morgan Freeman's Revelation Entertainment,
aired March 28, 1999, on
NBC-TV.
On February
22, 1998, the BHERC honored Robert
Allen, author of "The Port Chicago
Mutiny," during the "Remembering
the Men of Port Chicago" event, hosted
by the Center. Allen was presented the Joseph
Small Legacy Award, named after Port Chicago
Survivor Joseph R. Small, Jr., who helped
Allen write the first chapter of his insightful
book. Small died November 3, 1996.
For more detailed information
call (323) 957-4747; write BHERC at 1875
Century Park
East, Suite 600, Los Angeles, CA
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