Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial

Concord, California

The Port Chicago Mutiny Trial is a defining moment for Civil Rights.

The Port Chicago disaster marked a tragic and decisive moment in the battle for racial equality.  The explosion at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine on July 27, 1944, killed 320 people, including 202 African-American sailors, revealing systemic inequities and unsafe working conditions.  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.  Their trial drew national attention and led to  significant changes in military policy regarding civil rights. Because the site is located on a military base, to visit the site reservations are required. 

California also has a number of Black history museums.  Other sites of interest in California include the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco.

Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco, California.