CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (July 17, 2025) — This month, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors joined community members and advocates in recognizing Port Chicago Remembrance Day, which is observed annually on July 17. The recognition honors the 320 lives lost in the devastating 1944 munitions explosion at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Concord. The majority of those killed were young African American sailors, assigned to load explosives under unsafe and segregated working conditions.

The Board also acknowledged the courage of the 50 sailors who refused to return to hazardous duties following the explosion—an act of resistance that led to their court-martial but ultimately drew national attention to systemic racism in the military. Their stand helped lay the groundwork for the eventual desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Port Chicago Remembrance Day serves as a powerful reminder of the lives lost, the injustices endured, and the continued importance of remembering this chapter in Contra Costa County’s history.

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