The screenshot taken from the website of SELF on Sept. 2, 2022 shows the title and picture of its report about the water crisis in Jackson, a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. (Xinhua)
It's not a coincidence. Jackson is a disproportionately Black city where people knew there was a problem, and didn't spend the money to fix it, says Colin Jerolmack.
NEW YORK, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- It's important to note that more than 80 percent of the residents in Jackson, a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, are Black, and the city's ongoing water crisis is "a painfully clear case of environmental racism," website magazine SELF reported on Thursday.
The situation imploded this week when a local river flooded and caused problems at the OB Curtis Water Plant, resulting in a water shortage. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves then issued a statement announcing a state of emergency on Aug. 30.
However, the statement didn't outline plans to restore the water supply to the city's capital, nor did it provide updates on when Jackson's nearly 150,000 residents can expect the shortage to end. Instead, they have been told they'll be without clean water "indefinitely."
Some experts are comparing the current situation in Jackson to the 2014 water crisis in Flint, Michigan, during which the city's primarily Black residents didn't have access to clean water due to lead contamination for years, according to the report.
It's not a coincidence. Jackson is a disproportionately Black city where people knew there was a problem, and didn't spend the money to fix it, Colin Jerolmack, professor of sociology and environmental studies at New York University, told SELF.
"It's a result of a legacy of racism," Jerolmack was quoted as saying. ■