Port Chicago Alliance

The national history of

Port Chicago

The 1944 Port Chicago disaster changed civil rights history and the U.S. Navy forever.

At Port Chicago, young Black Sailors faced injustice and tragedy, sparking a movement for equality. Port Chicago Alliance works to honor their sacrifice, preserve their legacy, and educate future generations.

About Port Chicago Alliance

The Port Chicago Alliance (PCA) is a Bay Area-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to cultural preservation, education, and justice. We honor the legacy of the Black American Sailors of Port Chicago, whose courage in the face of injustice reshaped World War II and advanced the civil rights movement. Through youth engagement, public education, and advocacy for restitution, we carry their legacy forward — ensuring their sacrifice and achievements are never forgotten.

Programs

2023 - Port Chicago Education Program
2023 - Digital History Archive
2024 - Port Chicago Weekend
2025 - Port Chicago Restorative Justice Project

Awards and achievements

The Port Chicago Alliance is honored to be recognized for its impact and leadership by the following:

CA District 122024

US Navy2024

Contra Costa2024

Yulie Padmore

Executive Director

PCA Founder Yulie Padmore has led advocacy efforts for justice for the Port Chicago Sailors since 2019. In 2021, as co-founder of the East Bay Black Employee Collective, she helped facilitate the naming of Thurgood Marshall Regional Park — Home of the Port Chicago 50.

Yulie’s leadership has been recognized by the U.S. Navy, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, and the Cities of Concord, Berkeley, and Oakland, and she was honored to attend a private event at the White House.

Yulie also serves as co-chair of the Contra Costa County Bar Association’s Port Chicago Taskforce and is an active member of several civic and advocacy organizations, including the CA/HI State NAACP Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committee and the City of Oakland Cannabis Regulatory Commission.