Port of Chicago Explosion Comic
The Port of Chicago Explosion tells a forgotten story of a massive explosion at the old Port of Chicago Ammunition Depot in the Bay Area that killed 320 men, 202 of them were black sailors, and injured 390. The surviving sailors immediately had to come back to work under the same conditions. When the sailors refused to work, they were arrested. Thurgood Marshall attended the trial to fight for the sailors cause. Most of the men were court martialed and 50 were charged with outright mutiny. They came to be known as the Port of Chicago 50 who were sentenced to prison for 8-15 years of labor and later released and were given clemency. This story proved a turning point for the navy to desegregate ranks and marks for equality and justice within the military.