Brilliant Minds Collective, a non-profit think tank focused on economic growth, education, urban policy & legal reform, race, and global community engagement, has issued a statement, taking Jackson, Mississippi’s Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Governor Tate Reeves to task for their failure to provide their residents adequate water.
“We, the members of the Brilliant Minds Collective, issue this statement to express our sadness and disappointment with the tragic water shortage in Jackson, Mississippi.
“It is hard to imagine in 2022, residents in the greatest country on the planet would face such a seemingly avoidable crisis, leaving over 150,000 deprived of enough water to flush toilets, much less safe enough to consume.
“We have questions.
“First, how was the water system allowed to deteriorate to such point that it would be rendered practically useless by recent rains?
“Secondly, who was appointed or designated to oversee the responsibility of maintaining the water system so that they can be held accountable for what appears to be an unacceptable failure.
“Thirdly, what is current status of investigation into the water crisis? We cannot allow opportunity for a collapse in the distribution of this essential of a resource to happen again. According to widely circulated reports, residents of the city have been boiling water for over a month due to well-known water-quality problems.
“”Our collective hearts go out to the people suffering in Jackson, Mississippi. It is unimaginable that residents in a modern city in America would be deprived of one of the most basic of necessities. Knowing Black Americans make up over 80% of the Jackson’s population and the state of Mississippi’s history of systemic racism and violence, it isn’t surprising that more wasn’t done to circumvent this crisis,” Tyesh Harris, Executive Director of Brilliant Minds Collective.
“We look forward to a response from the offices of Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and/or Governor Tate Reeves addressing our concerns as we offer our assistance in whatever way we can provide.”
For more information on the Brilliant Minds Collective, visit https://brilliantmindscollective.org/
