Public Event: Tragedy and Resistance at Port Chicago Naval Magazine

Registration Closed

This event took place on October 28, 2021 from 6pm ET - 7:30pm ET / 3pm PT - 4:30pm PT. Three speakers, Dr. Albert Broussard, Superintendent Tom Leatherman, and Dr. Erika Doss, discussed the history and contemporary significance of the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Monument.

Selected recordings from the event will be posted below.

• 

  African American History in the U.S. West During the World War II-era

  As part of the public virtual event, Monumental Labor: Tragedy and Resistance at Port Chicago Naval Magazine, Dr. Albert Broussard presents an overview of African American history in the U.S. West during the World War II-era.

  Duration:

  14 minutes, 8 seconds

• 

  Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Monument: Past, Present, Future

  As part of the public virtual event, Monumental Labor: Tragedy and Resistance at Port Chicago Naval Magazine, Tom Leatherman, the former superintendent of Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, presents an overview of the site's history, including the story of its inclusion in the National Park System.

  Duration:

  7 minutes, 8 seconds

• 

  War Memorials and Labor Memorials in the American Commemorative Landscape

  As part of the public virtual event, Monumental Labor: Tragedy and Resistance at Port Chicago Naval Magazine, Dr. Erika Doss reflects on the changed and changing nature of commemoration in the United States through an examination of war memorials and labor memorials.

  Duration:

  13 minutes

• 

  The Process of Commemoration

  A conversation between Dr. Albert Broussard, Superintendent Tom Leatherman, and Dr. Erika Doss on the process of monumental creation. What challenges are involved in selecting the events and individuals worthy of commemoration? Who gets in, and who gets excluded from the process?

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 30 seconds

Labor History in the National Parks

This event explores the history and contemporary significance of the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, one of a small number of National Park sites that commemorate death and dying on the job. 

A group of sailors at Port Chicago Naval Magazine c. 1940s.

POCH 2.080

On July 17, 1944, a group of sailors and civilians were loading ships with ammunition and bombs at Port Chicago, a naval magazine and barracks in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tragically, the ships blew up in a massive explosion that instantly killed 320 workers and injured hundreds more. Most of the dead were African Americans, since racial segregation consigned Black soldiers and sailors to manual labor and service, including the dangerous work of transporting munitions. When the surviving workers were ordered back on the job without any additional safety measures or training, 50 refused to return. The resisters, dubbed the “Port Chicago 50,” were found guilty of disobedience of a lawful order and mutiny and received lengthy sentences and dishonorable discharges.

Today, the disaster and its aftermath are memorialized at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, one of a small number of National Park sites that commemorate death and dying on the job. During this event, Dr. Albert Broussard (Professor of History, Texas A&M University) offered opening remarks and facilitated a conversation between Tom Leatherman (Former Superintendent, Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial) and Dr. Erika Doss (Professor of American Studies, University of Notre Dame). They discussed African American labor in the West, the memorial’s role in shaping the memory of the Port Chicago disaster, and how the event should inform commonly-told histories of “America’s Greatest War.”

"Monumental Labor" is a three-part public event series that explores the memory of work and working peoples in National Parks and National Historic Landmarks. The series is organized by Dr. Eleanor Mahoney and Dr. Emma Silverman.

Dig Deeper

Learn more about the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial in this article by event panelist Dr. Erika Doss. 

Read the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Foundation Document, which lays out the memorial's purposes and plans for the future.   

Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship

"Monumental Labor" was made possible through the National Park Service by a grant from the National Park Foundation through generous support from the Mellon Foundation. The Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship program is administered through a partnership between NPS, NPF, and American Conservation Experience.