Hillary Clinton delivers an excellent op-ed at MSNBC today: THERE ARE TOO MANY FLINTS!
What’s happening in Flint, Michigan, is unconscionable.
A city of 99,000 people — 56 percent African-American, 40 percent living below the poverty line — has spent nearly two years with poisoned water.
Nearly two years of boil orders, foul smells and false reassurances that the water was safe to drink.
Nearly two years of having residents’ concerns dismissed and belittled by the state government.
I think Hillary’s appearance on the Rachel Maddow show and her forceful condemnation of the tragedy in Flint has helped focus national attention on this disaster. Hillary knows that this isn’t just happening in one community and that many Americans are in desperate need for help.
Flint isn’t alone. There are a lot more Flints out there — overwhelmingly low-income communities of color where pollution, toxic chemicals and staggering neglect adds to families’ burdens.
We need to face some hard truths about race and justice in America. After 250 years of slavery, 90 years of Jim Crow, and decades of “separate but equal,” our country’s struggle with racism is far from over. That’s true in our criminal justice system. In our education system. In employment, housing, and transit. And tragically, it’s true in the very air our children breathe and in the water they drink.
One of the reasons I support Hillary is her mastery of so many important issues facing America. She doesn’t offer up a clever slogan or sound bite. She approaches problems from a practical perspective and never takes her eyes off the end goal.
Environmental justice can’t just be a slogan — it has to be a central goal.
Hillary addresses what steps she would take to ensure environmental justice for every American:
And as president, I will make environmental justice a central part of my comprehensive commitment to low-income communities of color — by pursuing cleaner transportation; ambitious steps to reduce air pollution; dedicated efforts to clean up toxic sites; more resources for lead remediation; and greener, more resilient infrastructure. Because clean air and clean water are basic human rights — and our rights shouldn’t change between ZIP codes.
Communities and kids across our country have been bearing the burden of environmental racism for too long. It’s harming their health, their educations, every aspect of their lives and futures. We can no longer accept the status quo — and as president, I never will.
I hope you’ll read the whole thing over at MSNBC:
Hillary's Op-ed on Flint