Former Flint Mayor Karen Weaver Reflects on the City’s Water Crisis

By Tracy Chiles McGhee | Word In Black (WIB) – In a twisted irony, April Earth Day celebrations coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Flint Water Crisis. The disaster was triggered April 25, 2014 when a state-appointed manager initiated a cost-saving switch from Detroit’s water system to the Flint River. That reckless decision gave the residents of this majority Black Michigan city disease-ridden water tainted with lead and bacteria.  The water system, untested or treated,& pumped into hazardous pipes& that flowed into thousands of homes and facilities. This inaction would lead to immeasurable mental and physical suffering. The water contamination was heaped upon coverups and malfeasance by the state’s top officials.& For many Flint residents, the initial discovery was obvious to the naked eye — discolored water, foul-smelling, and so unsafe that the devastating results are still not fully known. Legions of community leaders, truth tellers, and everyday citizens would take on this huge crisis for justice in one of the poorest cities in America. The recent revelations of& water contamination in Jackson, Mississippi, confirm the certainty of untold “Flint-like” disasters across the county. From Flint to global communities, the fight goes on for quality water, a natural resource...