Event
On April 28th at 11am, the Contra Costa and Napa-Solano Labor Councils will host a Live-Stream (to access live stream click here) memorial to recognize every worker that lost their lives at the workplace both past and present, paying special tribute to the 320 workers that were lost at the Port Chicago Disaster in 1944; the 50 sailors that were subsequently and unjustly tried for mutiny at Mare Island for refusing to work in continued unsafe conditions; and every worker that succumbed to COVID-19.
We gather in Vallejo, across from the site where 258 sailors marched off the job with concern for their safety following the Port Chicago disaster, to recognize the need for a worker’s voice on the job and additional worker safety protection. These are issues that will be addressed with the passing of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act in Congress.
What: Workers’ Memorial Day Event
When: April 28th, 2021 at 11am
Where: Mare Island Museum, 1100 Railroad Ave, Vallejo, CA 94592
Live Streamed:
https://www.facebook.com/NapaSolanoCLC
cclabor.net/WorkersMemorial
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1bRXIPKwGwL4iQr6Wa8mAQ
History
On the evening of July 17, the SS Quinault Victory and SS E.A. Bryan, two merchant ships, were being loaded. The holds were being packed with 4,600 tons of explosives—bombs, depth charges and ammunition. Another 400 tons of explosives were nearby on rail cars. Approximately 320 workers were on or near the pier when, at 10:18 p.m., a series of massive explosions over several seconds destroyed everything and everyone in the vicinity. The blasts were felt as far away as Nevada and the resulting damage extended as far as San Francisco. Every building in Port Chicago was damaged and people were literally knocked off their feet. Smoke and fire extended nearly two miles into the air. The pilot of a plane flying at 9,000 feet in the area claimed that metal chunks from the explosion flew past him.
Nearly two-thirds of the people killed at Port Chicago were African-American enlisted men in the Navy—15 percent of all African-Americans killed during World War II. The surviving men in these units, who helped put out the fires and saw the horrors firsthand, were quickly reassigned to Mare Island. Less than a month later, when ordered to load more munitions, but still having received no training, 258 African American sailors refused to carry out the orders. Two hundred and eight of them were then sentenced to bad conduct discharges and pay forfeiture. The remaining 50 men were put on trial for general court martial. They were sentenced to between eight and 15 years of hard labor, though two years later all were given clemency. A 1994 review of the trials revealed race played a large factor in the harsh sentences. In December 1999, President Clinton pardoned Freddie Meeks, one of only three of the 50 convicted sailors known to be alive at the time.
The Port Chicago disaster eventually led to the implementation of far safer procedures for loading ammunition. In addition, greater emphasis was put on proper training in explosives handling and the munitions themselves were altered for greater safety. There is now a national memorial to the victims at the site.
We hope that you will be able to join us.
