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Larry Ponder, the son of John Ponder, his sister and a few family members recently visited the Pentagon where they were presented newly issued honorable discharges and an apology.
In 1940, Larry Ponder's father and uncle were kicked out of the Navy after signing onto a letter to a Black newspaper detailing racist treatment they'd received while serving on a warship.
Family members attended a June 16 ceremony at the Pentagon, where Navy officials apologized for expelling 15 black sailors who exposed racism aboard the USS Philadelphia in 1940. The Navy issued honorable discharges for the sailors, all of whom have died.
Kicked out of the Navy in 1940 for publicly criticizing the racist abuse they suffered on their warship, 15 Black men were posthumously exonerated at the Pentagon on Friday.