We’ve partnered closely with Gabby Gray, lead organizer of the Our Water Campaign at Pittsburgh United, for a few years now. Together, we’ve led community events to mobilize residents to challenge water privatization, highlight the role that Veolia played in the city’s water crisis, and help grow the movement for public water in the U.S. and around the world. We got a chance to sit down with Gabby and learn more about her organizing background, the latest water victory she helped lead in her community, and her hopes for the future.
Where does your commitment to organizing come from?
I’ve always lived in the Black community, and we are always organizing and “building village” as a group that’s historically been starved of resources. Growing up, my family was very involved in our church. We ran bake sales and worked together to care for the people in our community and made sure everyone had what they needed.
Tell us about your work organizing through the lead crisis in Pittsburgh.
I started as a community member. In 2019, my request to get my $30,000 water line replaced by the water authority was denied. It was a difficult time. I thought I would have to face this massive problem alone, but then I learned that my neighbors were having the same issue. Together, we led education sessions, held protests outside of City Hall, and met with elected officials to demand that the water authority cover this cost. And eventually, we succeeded. After that, I was hooked.
How did you connect with Corporate Accountability? And what has been the impact of our partnership?
I got connected with the water team at Corporate Accountability when I became the lead organizer for the Our Water Campaign at Pittsburgh United. By that time, my colleagues had worked with you all for a few years to expose Veolia’s role in the city’s water crisis, educate residents about the dangers of water privatization, and build connections with other cities facing the same thing. When I jumped in, we worked together to organize a day of action commemorating the start of the Flint water crisis. This event gave us the momentum and exposure that we needed to take the campaign to the next level: to win a local referendum to keep the city’s water system public for generations to come.
What inspires you to keep organizing?
I’ve been swept up by the momentum that we’ve created to protect our water. I’m also driven by a vision of communities that organize, empower, and equip themselves. During this time of authoritarianism, that vision grounds me and gives me hope.
