The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) will honor the 80th anniversary of the Port Chicago disaster on Wednesday, July 17th, with a series of commemorative events in San Bruno, California.
This tragic event in 1944 claimed the lives of 320 men, including 202 Black sailors. The commemoration will begin with the placement of flags on gravesites at the US Military Cemetery at 10 am, followed by a memorial service at noon. BHERC continues to seek out survivors and their families to participate in these significant events, encouraging them to contact Sandra Evers-Manly, the organization’s president.
Also, read; Chris Paul on How His Parents Made Him Accept $25k Instead of $100k When Entering the League
For 25 years, the BHERC has advocated for the exoneration and expungement of the records of 50 men unjustly convicted of mutiny following the disaster. Sandra Evers-Manly, a Pittsburg, CA native, and BHERC president, highlighted the enduring impact of the injustice, stating, “The injustice and scars remain.”
The Port Chicago explosion, which occurred during WWII, exposed the severe racial discrimination within the Navy, where Black sailors were subjected to hazardous working conditions without proper training.
Despite the profound loss and subsequent unfair treatment, the survivors and victims’ families have yet to receive adequate recognition or justice. The BHERC continues to push for acknowledgment and rectification of this dark chapter in American history, emphasizing the need for remembrance and justice.
