top of page
Search
Writer's picturePorsha Williams Gates

Down In The Valley Where The People Are Thirsty: Thoughts On The Jackson, Mississippi Water Crisis




We need to talk about Jackson, Mississippi.

In the week of the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating landfall. In the week of the anniversary of Emmett Till’s brutal murder. Mississippi went turned the water off in Jackson.


What’s happening in Jackson, Mississippi is systemic environmental racism. What’s happening is the water is contaminated. What’s happening is folks can’t shower. What’s happening is folks can’t flush the toilet. And, the city even ran out of bottled water. We all (should) know that access to clean water is a basic human need.

Some say, “It’s likely that this is also connected to the mass flooding,”… which again, is also connected to environmental racism and poor infrastructure. Can you stop the flood? I don’t know, but what I do know is that water can be mass filtered at treatment centers and that’s not what’s been happening.


The weaponizing of water in The US must end. There’s no reason why in 2022 where Jackson, Mississippi should be in need of water. I don’t know which government official needs to hear this, but y’all gonna stop playing in God’s face. Clean the damn water and turn it back on.

137 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page