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Richmond Considers Honoring 8 Black Men Who Died a World War II Tragedy

Published

10 years ago

February 20, 2016

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor

The City of Richmond has spent the past several years working hard to address and try to solve its problem of an epidemic of violent deaths, and to convince the world that there are other things about the bayfront city that should be highlighted.

But this coming Tuesday evening, February 23rd, Richmond takes a step in the opposite direction when it is expected to take the first steps in shining a spotlight on a violent incident in its not-so-recent past.

That’s when the Richmond City Council will consider creating a memorial to 8 African-American dock workers who died in a horrific Richmond tragedy in the middle of the World War II homefront effort and then laid forgotten and un-honored for the next 72 years.

At the same time, Richmond hopes to shine a new historical spotlight on the largely unknown story of the African-American civilian men who worked at jobs—often dangerous, sometimes fatal—during the war years to support both their families and the American war effort.

The genesis of this effort began in 2010 when one of Richmond’s most famous citizens—National Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin—was looking at a long-familiar picture of eight caskets from what she thought was the 1944 funeral services in what was then the “Negro” section of the segregated National Cemetery in San Bruno for 8 of the more than 200 African-American sailors who died in the munitions ship explosion at Port Chicago in July of that year.

“I felt an involuntary sharp intake of breath,” Soskin wrote in her personal blog at the time. Although she had seen the photograph many times, she said that she had “never noticed it before [and the] impact was almost painful. Though this was a solemn military burial rite … the caskets were not flag draped.”

Soskin set out to discover why those 8 Black Navy sailors might have been so dishonored. Months of historical detective work turned up the discovery that there had been no dishonor, because the remains in the casket were not Navy sailors at all.

Instead, they were the remains of 8 civilian African American shipyard workers, one of them only 17 years old, who died in a dormitory fire at the Kaiser shipyards in Richmond six months before the Port Chicago tragedy.

A story in the Oakland Tribune at the time reported that “trapped in their bedrooms, at least 8 shipyard workers were burned to death today in a fire that broke out explosively, and destroyed a two-story wooden frame dormitory near Kaiser shipyard 3.” Calling the dormitories a “firetrap,” the story continued that “when the firemen attempted to access a water supply…they discovered that the corner fire hydrant was rusted out, so that none was available to fight the flames. It only took a few minutes for the entire structure to burn to the ground.”

20 other workers were injured in the blaze.

In the months since they identified the true source of the funeral photograph, Soskin tried unsuccessfully to track down relatives of the 8 men who died in the fire. In addition, she could locate no-one living in the Richmond area at the time who even remembered the fire. It was if the 8 men died, were buried, and then were simply swallowed up by the earth.

The 1944 dormitory fire highlighted the fact that while World War II stories almost always focus on the sacrifice of the soldiers fighting overseas, there were actually close to 38,000 casualties among civilians working on the war effort on American soil during those years, some 7,500 more than Americans who were killed on the battlefront.

The site where the Kaiser dormitory burned is now a collection of warehouses at South 11th Street and Potrero in Richmond, less than a mile from where the National Park Service has set up the Rosie The Riveter National Park to honor the work of civilians in the homefront war effort during the World War II years. But no memorial currently marks the spot where the 8 Richmond dockyard workers lived and died. City of Richmond officials are hoping that their proposal for a memorial to the 8 Kaiser dormitory deaths on that site will start the process of correcting that long-overdue recognition.

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Bo Tefu

Gov. Newsom, AG Bonta to Local Law Enforcement: You Have Authority to Investigate Federal Agents

The guidance, released by the California Department of Justice (DOJ), emphasizes that local and state police have concurrent jurisdiction in cases involving federal officers and are not required to defer to federal investigations. The bulletin follows recent federal officer-involved shooting deaths in Minnesota and California.

Published

7 minutes ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a bulletin Jan. 27 reminding state and local law enforcement agencies that they have the authority to investigate potential violations of state law committed by federal agents, even when federal authorities do not cooperate.

The bulletin states that federal and state law enforcement have long worked together on investigations that can result in both federal and state charges, but recent actions by the federal government have raised concerns about obstruction and a lack of transparency. California officials say those developments require state and local agencies to be prepared to assert their legal authority.

“Especially when a fatal shooting occurs, no one should be allowed to rush in, seize evidence, and control the narrative before state and local law enforcement have lawful access,” said Newsom. “Transparency isn’t a talking point; it’s a legal and moral requirement.”

Bonta said federal agents do not have absolute immunity from state criminal prosecution and warned against claims suggesting otherwise.

“Let there be no question: State and local law enforcement in California have authority to investigate potential violations of state law, even when those violations are committed by federal agents,” said Bonta. “Federal courts have long recognized that federal agents do not have absolute immunity from state law prosecution.”

The bulletin advises agencies that states have primary authority to investigate and prosecute violations of state criminal law, including cases involving federal officers. It also notes that the California DOJ is available to assist local agencies and can seek court orders to preserve evidence or secure access to crime scenes if needed.

California officials pointed to a Minnesota case in which a Trump-appointed federal judge ordered the federal government not to destroy evidence amid allegations that federal authorities interfered with a state investigation into a fatal shooting involving a federal officer.

The move comes amid broader legal battles between California and the Trump administration over federal law enforcement practices. In recent months, Bonta has led or joined court filings challenging federal deployments and enforcement actions, while Newsom has opposed what state leaders describe as unlawful federal overreach.

The DOJ encouraged Californians to report alleged misconduct by federal agents through its online reporting portal, saying the state stands ready to investigate and, where warranted, pursue charges under the California Penal Code.

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Activism

Dorothy Lee Bolden: Uniting Domestic Workers

Domestic work followed Bolden beyond high school. According to sources from the New York Times, Bolden said she would wake “at 4 a.m. to leave home by 6 a.m., and be on the job by 8 a.m., perform all those duties necessary to the proper management of a household for eight hours, leave there by 4 p.m. to be home by 6 p.m. where I would do the same things I’ve done all over again for my own family.”

Published

17 minutes ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Dorothy Lee Bolden. File photo.

By Tamara Shiloh

Her first experience with domestic work was at the age of nine. For $1.25 per week, Alabama-born Dorothy Lee Bolden (1923–2005), alongside her mother, washed soiled diapers for a White employer. Little did anyone know that this profession would spur Bolden to spearhead the movement for basic dignity and respect for generations of domestic workers.

Domestic work followed Bolden beyond high school. According to sources from the New York Times, Bolden said she would wake “at 4 a.m. to leave home by 6 a.m., and be on the job by 8 a.m., perform all those duties necessary to the proper management of a household for eight hours, leave there by 4 p.m. to be home by 6 p.m. where I would do the same things I’ve done all over again for my own family.”

It was Bolden’s experiences working as a domestic in 1940’s Atlanta that inspired her civil rights activism. A White female employer demanded that Bolden remain beyond her shift and wash dishes. Bolden refused. She was arrested and held in a county jail because “she was crazy.” There was no other reason for disobeying an order from a White person.

Bolden was never sentenced or institutionalized, but this event was the seed that grew into organization that would protect domestic workers across the United States: the National Domestic Workers Union of America.

Rosa Parks had made public transportation a major breeding ground for civil rights activism, so Bolden began organizing during the long bus rides her peers made to the wealthy neighborhoods. Many were fed up, working long hours for little pay, with little to no worker protections.

This organization of women would go on to fight for worker’s rights, create training programs, and teach workers to advocate for themselves. It was also important to Bolden to teach communication skills.

In the book Household Workers Unite, Bolden is quoted as saying: “You have to teach each maid how to negotiate… And this is the most important thing — communication. I would tell them it was up to them to communicate.”

But respect for Bolden’s activism was not shared by everyone. Although she consulted presidents Ford, Reagan, and Carter, she received several death threats from the Ku Klux Klan.

The New York Times reported that during the makings of an oral history project, Bolden said that “men claiming to be members of the KKK called her house and spoke about “whipping my behind,” but in coarser terms. “I told them any time they wanted to, come on over and grab it,” Bolden said during the interview. “It didn’t scare me, didn’t bother me. It made me angry. It made me determined to do what I had to do.”

Representative John Lewis of Georgia said that Bolden “spoke up, and she spoke out, and when she saw something that wasn’t fair, or just, or right, she would say something.”

The NDWU of America ran until the mid-1990s, but Bolden’s legacy lives on.

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Activism

Cracking Down on Human Trafficking, California DOJ Announces 120 Arrests

According to the California DOJ, 87 arrests were made for loitering, 25 for solicitation, and eight for pimping and pandering. Officials said the operation focused on reducing demand for commercial sexual exploitation while prioritizing a survivor-centered approach.

Published

27 minutes ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The California Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Jan. 26 that 120 people were arrested during a coordinated, multi-county law enforcement operation aimed at disrupting human trafficking and connecting survivors with support services.

The arrests stem from Operation Stand On Demand, a six-day effort conducted from Jan. 19 through Jan. 24 across San Diego, Sacramento, Tulare, and Fresno counties. It involved more than a dozen state and local law enforcement agencies working together to target individuals involved in sex trafficking, including traffickers and buyers.

“This operation reflects an ongoing commitment by California law enforcement to target those who fuel trafficking and exploitation,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta.

“It’s a coordinated, multi-county law enforcement effort focused on disrupting sex trafficking, holding perpetrators accountable, and connecting survivors with support,” said Bonta.

San Diego County accounted for the majority of enforcement activity during the operation. District Attorney Summer Stephan said law enforcement agencies worked around the clock to identify and arrest individuals attempting to purchase sex.

“Our officers, in less than one week during this operation, took action, not words, by working around the clock and arresting and citing 105 people who thought that they were going to go out and buy a human being like they’re a hamburger or a slice of pizza,” Stephan said.

San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez chimed in.

“Communities like Santee and San Marcos, which were part of this operation, face unique vulnerabilities tied to transportation routes, student populations, and employment opportunities,” she said.

Bonta said the arrests are part of broader statewide efforts to combat human trafficking. Since 2021, the Attorney General’s Office said its human trafficking task forces have led to more than 900 arrests and connected more than 1,000 survivors to services and resources.

“Human trafficking is a complex, devastating crime, but when we work together, we can make a real difference, and this operation is proof positive of that fact,” Bonta said.

California DOJ officials said similar operations will continue as part of the state’s ongoing strategy to combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable communities.