Last Friday, Sierra Club members joined with Flint community members and organizations in the REBUILD Flint March and Rally in Flint. The march was in response to the man-made Flint water quality disaster and was headlined by: Rev. Jesse Jackson, president and founder Rainbow PUSH Coalition; Judge Greg Mathis;Rev. Alfred Harris, president, and Rev. Allen Overton, spokesperson of the Concerned Pastors for Social Action; Phaedra Parks of the “Atlanta Housewives;” and special guests as they led a march to the Flint Water Plant from the Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle.
“The water crisis in Flint is both a public health and an environmental justice disaster,” said Gail Philbin, Sierra Club Michigan State Director.” Every family should expect that the air they breath and the water they drink is clean and that they’ll be treated fairly and equitably by a government acting in their best interests. But in Flint and in places across America, too many have come to realize that is simply not the case.”
Sierra Club is urging our members to support local, grassroots Flint community organizations which have been in the forefront of the fight to restore clean water, a safe water infrastructure, and democracy to Flint residents. Your contributions to the groups linked here will be applied to the work these organizations are doing today: Water You Fighting For,Michigan Faith in Action, the Genessee County Hispanic/Latino Collaborative, and Flint Democracy Defense League (through We the People of Detroit). These grassroots organizations have been leading the fight for environmental justice many months with virtually no resources since the tap water turned brown after the ill-fated switch in April 2014 to Flint River water without proper corrosion controls.
In addition, Sierra Club is joining with these organizations, the
NAACP and others in
demanding swift action by Governor Rick Snyder to address the disaster his administration has been primarily responsible for. The NAACP has released a
20 point list of priorities to address the needs of Flint residents. “The residents of Flint have suffered irreparable harm due to the poor decisions made by government officials,” said
Cornell William Brooks, NAACP President. “The
NAACP is expecting significant progress on the 20-point list of priorities to give residents a timely and clear resolution to this man-made crisis. In the absence of significant progress over the
next 30 days, the
NAACP will embark on an intense, broad-based campaign of direct action until progress is made and the residents of Flint receive measurable relief.”
On the ground assistance from volunteers is still needed in Flint for delivery of water and other critical needs. Find out more about how you can help by going to the
Michigan Chapter webpage.
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