Black History

Port Chicago: Navy Exonerates 256 Black Sailors Accused of 1944 Revolt

Three days after U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro posthumously exonerated the remaining 256 African American Port Chicago defendants who were court-martialed for mutiny in 1944, he visited the historical site to participate in the 80th-year commemoration of the worst homefront disaster in U.S. history. Del Toro said the occasion at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial on the Suisun Bay, 35 miles north of San Francisco in Contra Costa County, was two-fold. According to him, the 90-minute ceremony was organized to honor all who died in the blasts and officially announce absolving Black men who were unjustly court-martialed for refusing to load bombs on naval cargo ships during World War II due to safety concerns.

Published

10 months ago

August 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Carol Cherry, left, was presented with the Stars and Stripes flag by Kelli English, right, from the National Park Service to conclude the ceremony. Her father, Cyril Oscar Sheppard, Jr., was one of the 50 Black sailors convicted of mutiny after the explosions at Port Chicago killed 320 people in 1944. CBM photo by Antonio R. Harvey.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌

California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media

Del Toro said the occasion at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial on the Suisun Bay, 35 miles north of San Francisco in Contra Costa County, was two-fold. According to him, the 90-minute ceremony was organized to honor all who died in the blasts and officially announce absolving Black men who were unjustly court-martialed for refusing to load bombs on naval cargo ships during World War II due to safety concerns.

“This event marks a turning point in our nation’s history, a moment when we confront the ghosts of the past and embrace the promise of more justice,” Del Toro said. “For eight decades, the story of Port Chicago has been a stark reminder of a grave injustice. We as a nation will never be able to express our full gratitude to all deceased and their families for their dedication, service, and sacrifice.”

On July 20, a diverse group of 500 people were shuttled from the Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO) to the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial where two deadly explosions occurred on the night of July 17, 1944.

The ceremony was hosted in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), Friends of Port Chicago National Memorial, and the U.S. Army’s 834th Transportation Battalion.

The event also marked the 30th year the site was established as a memorial.

Along with Del Toro, dignitaries and elected officials in attendance were U.S. Congressmen John Garamendi (D-CA-08) and Thurgood Marshall Jr., whose father, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, sought justice for the Port Chicago 50, the Black men who were wrongfully convicted in the fall of 1944 of insubordination during World War II.

Kelli English, the NPS’s service-wide program manager for Cooperating Associations and Partnerships, said tears from colleagues were flowing the day they heard about the exoneration of the men. English is part of the NPS crew that conducts tours of the National Memorial and shares the history of the tragedy.

“They never should have been court-martialed in some cases and convicted of other cases, but it does provide some closures for the families and descendants of those men,” English told California Black Media. “It’s so important to us. It’s the only amount of justice delivered years after the fact.”

The blasts resulted in the death of 320 sailors, 202 of them Black American sailors who were loading nearly 5,000 tons of munitions from a train into the naval cargo ships. About 400 more people were injured and the cargo train and both ships – SS Quinault Victory and SS EA Bryan – were destroyed.

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Oakland Post: Week of June 4 – 10, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

Published

5 days ago

June 7, 2025

Oakland Post

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

1 week ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.