I’m officially halfway done with my internship. Last week, Mr. Sikes and I were working on the interview questions for Yuli Padmore, the executive director of the Port Chicago Alliance. He taught me to back my questions up with evidence before asking them. The scheduled meet and greet with Padmore took place on Monday. We had scheduled an interview on Wednesday, but she still was not ready. So Padmore and I began discussing my findings from researching the Port Chicago 50 (POCH 50), the recent exoneration, and plans for the Thurgood Marshall and POCH 50 regional park.
I ended the week by interviewing Steve Sheinkin, the author of the “Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights,” and writing the questions for the Navy, which led to a significant obstacle. The purpose of my internship is to assist the U.S. Navy in finding descendants of the POCH 50. Due to the signing of recent executive orders, the content on the Navy’s website was adjusted. The Department of Defense had deleted the page regarding the exoneration which made Mr. Sikes and I wonder if the Navy was still looking for descendants of the POCH 50.
Christion Billy 