The exact location of the Port Chicago 50 mutiny trial was never recorded. This video traces the investigation leading to the Treasure Island Museum's identification of the trial site, and a proposal for a memorial to honor the 50 Black sailors whose mutiny conviction during World War II eventually led to the desegregation of the U.S. Navy.
This is Part 3 of a series presenting the planned memorialization of the Port Chicago 50 on Yerba Buena Island (YBI) in San Francisco Bay. Video 1 tells the story of the Port Chicago explosion, mutiny and trial. Video 2 presents the design concept for the history display, which will be atop Hilltop Park on YBI. All three videos are at • Memorializing the Port... .
The story began in the racism of the U.S. Navy during World War II. It exploded - literally - with the largest stateside disaster of World War II, killing 320 people, most of them Black sailors ordered to load explosives with no training and inadequate equipment and safety precautions.
It continued with 50 Black sailors refusing to resume that dangerous work. They were tried for mutiny on Yerba Buena Island, part of the Treasure Island naval base. Their convictions shone a spotlight on racism in the military, leading sixteen months later to the desegregation of the Navy, and two years after that, of all the armed services.
The historical display at Hilltop Park is a joint effort of Treasure Island Museum, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial unit of the National Park Service, and Treasure Island Development Group and their park designer, Hood Design Studio, with the support of the Treasure Island Development Authority.
14 июл 2022
