The upcoming Democratic debate will be taking place in Flint, Michigan on March 6th. For this reason a coalition came together to ensure that this community won’t just be a prop for the debate but a focal point.
As we all know Flint, Michigan is not an isolated incident. The environmental injustices happening all over the country are on the forefront of voters’ minds but have only made up a soundbite or two during each of the former Democratic Debates.
So a coalition of grassroots and netroots organization came together and gathered over 90,000 petition signatures demanding that the water crisis in Flint and its disproportional effects on communities of color be addressed.
Monique Teal of Daily Kos had this to say:
“Flint’s water crisis is just one example of the callous disregard shown to people of color, black and Native people when it comes to our safety and health. The next president will be tasked with not just deploying emergency assistance once a crisis is made known but actually addressing systemic environmental racism head-on. As a significant portion of the Democratic base, people of color, black and Native people demand to know how the leaders of the party plan to address racial, environmental, and climate justice."
Eric Walker, Western Regional Press Secretary for the DNC accepted the petition signatures stating, “There is a reason we are holding the debate there.” He later replied to a tweet from Friends of the Earth thanking him for accepting the petitions by saying, “Thank you for your dedication - we are a better party for it.”
Hopefully the DNC, CNN and the candidates will respond and seriously debate environmental justice not just in Flint, but across the country and focus not just on African American’s but Latino and Native communities as well. That would be a historic debate indeed and one that is long over due.
If you agree add your name to the petition by clicking here.