If You Want Clean Water, Don't Be Black in America

The great Nigerian singer-activist Fela Kuti once sang, “Water No Get Enemy”—a position many Flint residents might disagree with. Now that their water has been deemed unusable due to the putrid blend of contaminants found in it, they’re searching for answers on who will foot the bill for the mess. More than half of the city’s residents are African Americans, but Michigan Governor Rick Snyder insists that racism wasn’t behind the decisions leading to the water crisis.

The mayor of Flint, Karen Weaver, believes otherwise, as do many other media outlets that have been covering the situation. Snyder may not see racism, but what’s happening in Flint easily resembles a whole catalogue of other instances concerning poor water management and black communities that were certainly the result of racism. In fact, the water-management issues in Flint are tantamount to a textbook case of environmental racism.