Navy exonerates 256 Black sailors unjustly punished in 1944 after deadly Bay Area port explosion

The U.S. Navy announced they exonerated 256 Black sailors who were unjustly court-martialed following the 1944 Port Chicago explosion. Eighty years ago, an explosion killed over 300 sailors at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in the East Bay. Majority of the sailors who died were Black.

Surviving sailors, who majority were also Black, were forced to clean up following the disaster then go back to work handling explosives; 256 refused and 50 of them were convicted of mutiny for not following orders.

They were asked to continue doing that work and they stood up for their civil rights," said Yulie Padmore, executive director of the Port Chicago Alliance. "They had just seen their comrades killed. They were denied bereavement and did not receive proper training."

For 80 years, the Navy did not exonerate them. That changed Wednesday when Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said there were significant legal issues, including the sailors not being denied a meaningful right to counsel.

MORE: Anniversary marks 75 years since Port Chicago disaster

Seventy-five years ago next week, a quiet naval weapons loading post in the East Bay all but disappeared in a huge fireball, taking hundreds of sailors with it.

"The Port Chicago 50, and the hundreds who stood with them, may not be with us today, but their story lives on, a testament to the enduring power of courage and the unwavering pursuit of justice," said Secretary Del Toro in a statement. "They stand as a beacon of hope, forever reminding us that even in the face of overwhelming odds, the fight for what's right can and will prevail."

One of the men who signed the exoneration was Thurgood Marshall Jr., the son of the late Supreme Court Justice. His father worked with the families and fought for their exoneration following the disaster.

"He said it is not these men who should be put on trial, but the U.S. Navy," Padmore said.

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier says he spoke with the White House who had planned for this exoneration.

"I always think that America is a great enough country and its people are great enough to where we can admit to our historical short comings and this helps with that," he said. "I am grateful for President Biden and the U.S. Navy for taking this step."

Now, Padmore says more needs to be done about education. East Bay Regional Park District has plans to open Thurgood Marshall park soon, and Padmore says it should be a center of history for people to learn about one of the most tragic events in Bay Area history.

"This is also a part of our culture," she said. "What did these courageous war heroes, what did they do to bring us to where we are today?"

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