What’s the longest you’ve gone without a drink from a glass of clean, safe tap water?
For people in Flint, Michigan, today marks five years.
Yes: Five years. Five years of brown, putrid-smelling water from the faucet. Five years of bottle after plastic bottle of water — for cooking, cleaning, and drinking. Five years of skin rashes, hair falling out, and other unexplained medical problems. Five years of stress. Five years of children suffering from lead poisoning.
Five years of sounding the alarm and organizing for a just resolution to a crisis they did nothing to cause.
Today, hundreds of people are marching in Michigan’s state capital to demand justice and accountability for the Flint water crisis. Will you join in solidarity with them by making a special gift to our partners at Flint Rising today? 100 percent of your donation will go straight to the people on the ground in Flint organizing for justice.
Five years ago today, Flint’s water supply was switched to the filthy Flint River. It didn’t take long for people to start noticing that something was terribly wrong.
But the people of Flint didn’t choose to make this switch. The roots of the Flint crisis lie in Michigan’s emergency manager law, which allows the state to install an unelected official to essentially run a city — with nearly limitless power to override local government. This disastrous law has been used to systematically suspend democracy in majority Black cities in Michigan like Flint.
And five years ago under this emergency management system, Michigan’s state government authorized a switch in Flint’s water supply — just to save some money.
Now Flint residents pay some of the highest rates in the country – with bills up to $200 per month — for water they can’t drink. And what about the state officials who imposed this anti-democratic system in Flint, like former Governor Rick Snyder? They still have not been held accountable for their devastating actions. When you donate to Flint Rising today, you’ll supporting Flint residents in holding those involved in creating this crisis accountable.
Every day for the last five years, groups like Flint Rising have been organizing for their human right to water. On the one hand, they’re organizing to support their fellow Flint residents in urgently securing access to safe water for their daily needs. And on the other, they’re organizing for a long-term solution to the water crisis, and justice and accountability for those who caused it.
I’ve worked closely with Nayyirah Shariff, Gina Luster, and Melissa Mays, the powerhouse organizers at Flint Rising. And I’ve seen the impact they have. They elevated the Flint water crisis to the national agenda. They’ve traveled from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Lagos, Nigeria to share their stories and demand clean, safe water for all. They’re building a powerful movement for water justice in Flint and beyond.
Yet many Flint residents are still struggling with the effects of the lead crisis—and some homes still even have lead pipes.
That’s why people from Flint are at the state house in Michigan today demanding water justice. We’re proud to say that, for years, people like you from the Corporate Accountability community have been organizing by their side. Let’s continue to show the people of Flint they are not alone in this struggle. Will you join them? Donate to Flint Rising today to support their call for water justice, and 100% of your gift will go straight to them.
Thank you for your commitment to clean, safe water at rates all people can afford.
