Following two massive explosions in 1944 in Port Chicago, California, that killed 320 American sailors and injured 390 more, the US Navy branded 50 young Black sailors as mutineers for their refusal to return to the unsafe working conditions that caused the explosions.
These 50 Black sailors would be known as The Port Chicago 50. They protested their unfair treatment, and were tried and wrongly convicted of mutiny.
DeKalb County resident Carol Cherry’s father, Cyril O. Sheppard, was one of these 50 sailors, and in January and March, she partnered with our library to share her family’s story, and the larger story of the decades-long fight for justice for the Port Chicago 50.
For anyone who missed her presentation, or wants to know more about the Port Chicgao Disaster, the resources below delve into the story in detail. You’ll find a short documentary titled “Into Forgetfulness” about the incident, a podcast recorded with five survivors of the explosions, and a video of the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial’s 78th anniversary commemoration event in 2022.