In
1944, a tragic explosion at the munitions loading dock
at Port Chicago, just north of San Francisco, killed more
than 320 sailors, most of them African American, and injured
hundreds more.
The
disaster destroyed the town of Port Chicago more than
a mile away. It was the worst home-front military disaster
of World War II.
The
surviving men refused to load munitions ships until safety
conditions were improved. Fifty sailors were court-martialed
for mutiny, imprisoned and dishonorably discharged.
Thurgood
Marshall and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund came to their
defense – and the movement continues to honor these
heroic black servicemen whose courageous actions ultimately
led to the desegregation of the U.S. Navy.
The
Equal Justice Society commissioned an
original 75-minute jazz and swing composition called "Port
Chicago" in honor of the 60th anniversary of the
tragedy.
On
December 8, 2004, the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra performed
"Port Chicago" to a sold-out crowd at the Regency
Center in San Francisco.
