Recognizing the victims of the Port Chicago explosion of July 17, 1944, the 79th anniversary of the greatest homeland loss of life of World War II, and exonerating the 50 African-American sailors unjustly court-martialed by the Navy.
This resolution exonerates 50 African-American sailors who were wrongfully convicted of mutiny by the Navy after the 1944 Port Chicago explosion, clearing their military records. It upgrades their discharges from general/summary to honorable and directs the Navy to update their files and notify surviving families. The bill specifically addresses the historical injustice of their 1944 convictions, which stemmed from racial segregation and unsafe working conditions at the segregated naval facility. It recognizes the 320 sailors (202 Black) who died in the disaster - the greatest U.S. homeland loss in WWII - and honors their service. The resolution does not alter current policy but formally corrects a 79-year-old military record.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2023
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Feb 17, 2023
Last action Feb 17, 2023
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
2
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Feb 17, 2023
Committee
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
lower
Feb 17, 2023
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
1 primary · 13 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Mark DeSaulnier
DDemocratic
Co
Al Green
DDemocratic
Co
Alma S. Adams
DDemocratic
Co
Barbara Lee
DDemocratic
Co
Earl Blumenauer
DDemocratic
Co
Eleanor Holmes Norton
DDemocratic
Co
Gwen Moore
DDemocratic
Co
Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.
DDemocratic
Co
Jasmine Crockett
DDemocratic
Co
Jennifer L. McClellan
DDemocratic
Co
John Garamendi
DDemocratic
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