Sometimes, the days are too long. Sometimes the stories of others are too much to comprehend. I love words but, sometimes they get lost in frustration, anger and sorrow. I ache because I want the best for people. Today, I offer prayers to the people of Flint, Michigan.

Flint residents have complained about the quality of the city’s water for years. The water looked, smelled and tasted unhealthy. Eventually, it was “formally” disclosed that the water had dangerously high levels of lead (dating back to perhaps 2014).

One year of lead contaminated water can produce immediate and long term inter-generational damage. Who can predict how much trauma and destruction the people of the city have and will endure?

Fifty-two per cent of the population of Flint, Michigan is African American. In 2014, Flint residents didn’t vote for the current Governor.

Coincidentally after the election Governor Rick Snyder ignored the residents/voters requests for help regarding the quality of the water and the increased numbers of illnesses in the community.

The Governor had to be shamed into action. Exorcism wasn’t an option due to a lack of holy water.

We call this environmental racism. Quiet as it is kept, environmental racism happens a lot. Dump sites etc., conveniently placed near communities of color. Seriously, could you imagine waste plants in places like Beverly Hills?

This is why we shout that ‘Black lives matter”, because if we don’t who will?

 

Janet Cormier is a painter, writes prose and poetry, and performs comedy. JC prefers different and original over pretty. She loves collecting stuff, but cleaning not so much. Janet also talks to strangers… a lot. Her column now appears weekly on Oddball Magazine.