Although I was not born in the Hospitality State, after four years of formative experiences as a college student and registered voter in the capital city, part of my identity is now undeniably Mississippian.
As an ecologically-oriented individual, environmental justice has always been an area of curiosity and passion for me, and Jackson, Miss., is a pronounced example of environmental infrastructure gone wrong. This injustice has notably come into fruition as a lack of access to the most basic foundational element of all life on Earth: water!
Admittedly, attending a small, private college in the city provided me and my peers with considerable supplemental relief, but most Jacksonians have been left out to dry. Anecdotally, clean water became so scarce that a severe ice storm in February 2021 followed by a shutdown of the local water plant resulted in Millsaps College throwing in the towel and canceling the spring semester final exams altogether. This silver lining for Millsapians sheds light on how dire the situation became for the greater Jackson community, which had substantially less support.
Ensure Access To Clean Water
If we look at history, Jackson’s water crisis is a clear result of a concerted backlash against the racial integration of schools. White flight left Jackson unequipped with the tax base necessary to remedy its water woes before they became existential. Historically, supermajority conservative delegations, that a Republican governor enables, dominates both houses of the Mississippi legislature. Though Mississippi is known as the “Blackest State” per capita, and Jackson “the Blackest City,” these aforementioned elected officials are overwhelmingly white. Of course, Mississippi leadership’s traditionalistic, conservative political culture has bred a sense of overwhelming apprehension for federal intervention on any issue until a case of last resort arises.
The 2013 map of Jackson’s ancient water distribution system reveals the enormity of the task ahead of the Public Works Department. Courtesy Neel-Schaffer
During the water crisis in 2022, the City of Jackson and the State of Mississippi petitioned for declarations of emergency. In August 2022, President Joe Biden approved the Mississippi Emergency Declaration, providing additional federal funding and resources to support
Read original article by clicking here.