During WWII, on July 17, 1944, a massive explosion at Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Concord, California killed 320 people, of whom 202 were Black American sailors working in racially-segregated divisions.

In protest, 258 surviving Black sailors drew national attention to the injustices of Jim Crow segregation and unjust working conditions. Fifty sailors remained steadfast in their pursuit of equal rights and safer working conditions, garnering backing from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. With their help, the sailors' actions initiated the desegregation of the Navy, a pivotal milestone in our nation's ongoing struggle for racial equality.