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How the Courage of 50 Black Men Helped End Segregation in the Military

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America suffered its most devastating World War II loss on its own soil at Port Chicago, California located in San Francisco’s East Bay area 75 years ago today when a munitions explosion rocked the area, leaving 320 men dead and more than 200 of them were Black men. The tragedy set the stage for what became known as the Port Chicago Mutiny  which historians say contributed to the end of segregation in the Armed Forces.

Earlier this week the National Park Service held a special service marking the 75th anniversary of the explosion. Family and friends of the men who perished gathered at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial to remember their loved ones.

The explosion occurred on July 17, 1944 as munitions denotated while being loaded onto a cargo vessel headed for the Pacific Theater Operations. The blast shook the area and blew out windows. Because Black sailors were usually assigned the job of munitions loading, they were impacted the most dramatically. A month later when the Navy brought in replacement sailors, 258 of them refused to do the job unless new safety procedures were implemented. The men were willing to work but not in the dangerous job of munitions loading.

In the aftermath of the explosion, Sailor Percy Robinson reportedly told researcher Robert L. Allen that the men were scared, adding “If somebody dropped a box or slammed a door, people [began] jumping around like crazy.”

According to BlackPast.org, 208 of the men who decided not to load munitions were punished with a court-martial, loss of pay for three months, and bad conduct discharges. Fifty of the men were charged with mutiny which was punishable by death. They became known as the Port Chicago 50. They were sentenced to eight to 15 years of hard labor but were granted clemency when the war ended.

The NAACP investigated the incident and reported that the men were dissatisfied with their treatment in the Navy. The Navy began a review of its policy regarding the separation among its ranks. In 1948 President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981 abolishing segregation in the Armed Forces.

On the Port Chicago Memorial’s Facebook page, John Phillip Fernandez wrote: “My parents and their families lived in nearby West Pittsburg…and, no one EVER said a bad word about those sailors who were overworked and undertrained to handle all those munitions, and then refused to continue.”

Black History

Trump Signs Executive Orders That Will Impact HBCUs and Black Schoolchildren

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and establish a White House Initiative on HBCUs to “deliver high-quality education to a growing number of students.”

According to the White House, the Initiative will help develop private-sector partnerships, institutional development and workforce preparation in technology, health care, manufacturing and finance. 

The president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Dr. Harry L. Williams said, “Today’s executive order serves as strong reaffirmation of President Trump’s support of investment of historically Black colleges and universities. This executive order should serve as a call-to-action for corporations, foundations, members of Congress and state lawmakers to redouble their efforts to support HBCUs and their students. TMCF looks forward to continued engagement with the administration and Congress to deliver results for HBCUs and the students they serve via appropriations and other legislative actions.”

On the same day, Trump signed another executive order that removes safeguards for African American schoolchildren by eliminating an Obama-era initiative to protect Black schoolchildren from excessive disciplinary action.

During the Obama administration, the first Black president’s administration created guidelines that sought to prevent school discipline from having a disproportionate effect on minority students. Trump revoked the civil rights initiative during his first term and Biden did not formally restore it. 

At his signing today, Trump said his decision was especially important to the current Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who held the signed order.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, schools were forced to consider equity and inclusion when imposing discipline,” McMahon said in a statement. “Their policies placed racial equity quotas over student safety – encouraging schools to turn a blind eye to poor or violent behavior in the name of inclusion.”

She added, “Disciplinary decisions should be based solely on students’ behavior and actions.

Studies show that Black students are punished more often than their white counterparts.

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President Jimmy Carter Appointed the First Black Woman to Lead a Federal Agency

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President Jimmy Carter advanced opportunities for African Americans throughout his life,
advocating for justice and peace consistent with the Christian values he embraced. Since his
death on December 29 at age 100, Mr. Carter’s praises have been sung from his home state of
Georgia to points around the globe. And while the former president’s one-term in the White
House is dismissed by some political pundits for a lack of policies or accomplishments that
changed the course of history, his character and integrity set him apart.


Carter became the first president to appoint a Black woman head of a federal agency. He chose
Patricia Roberts Harris to lead the Housing and Urban Development when he took office in
1977.


Harris said, “I feel deeply proud and grateful this President chose me to knock down this barrier, but also a little sad about being the ‘first Negro woman,’ because it implies we were not
considered before.”


Senator William Proxmire questioned Carter’s choice, saying Harris came from too much wealth and influence to be an effective leader. But Carter stood by his decision, and Harris stayed in the position for two years.


The 39th president’s name is also included on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.


Civil rights activist, Rev. Al Sharpton recalled a conversation he shared with Carter.


“It was very significant, I was talking there at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, and I was talking to President Clinton and President Carter,” Sharpton recalled. “And when Clinton and I finished talking, President Carter touched me on my arm and said, ‘How are you doing with your ministry, Al? I see you out there with your activism. Don’t leave your ministry … keep your prayer life going.’ And you could tell he sincerely meant it. He was not one who talked about his religion as a political kind of something you could say to voters.”


President Joe Biden declared January 9, 2025, a national day of mourning. Millions watched the former president’s funeral on television as he was remembered as a man of honesty,
compassion and faith – which included championing the rights of Americans who knew firsthand the struggle of injustice

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The Congressional Black Caucus Prepares for “Important” Work

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The Congressional Black Caucus started the 119th Congress with its largest membership. There were 62 members sworn in today.

“On behalf of the entire Congressional Black Caucus, congratulations to the members of the Executive Committee of the 119th Congress. 53 years after our Caucus’ founding, our work to improve the lives and conditions of Black people in America is more important than ever before,” said CBC President Steven Horsford.

Photo Credit: Ron Busby, U.S. Black Chambers Inc.

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