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Water and the Black experience are linked and fraught. For generations, our arrival, punishment, freedom and sustenance in this country have involved a very complicated relationship with water. Today, the climate crisis and aging water systems across the country present a danger that disrupts our lives and endangers our health. And worse, the Trump administration has reversed environmental policies and proposed federal budget cuts that could put our lives at risk. We need vital voices to demand policies that protect our water, environment and health.
Clean, safe, affordable water is essential, however it’s not accessible to everyone. Segregation, discriminatory land use and unfair zoning policies have forced many low-income and Black communities of color into low-lying flood zones and “vulnerability zones.” These zones, for example, are located near industrial facilities that manufacture chemicals, treat wastewater, produce bleach, generate electric power, refine petroleum or produce pulp and paper. Too often, due to industrial pollution, the water these communities rely on becomes contaminated.
The Black Women’s Health Imperative is deeply aware of how contaminated water impacts the health of pregnant mothers and children. In Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other states, the deteriorating municipal water infrastructure is having a devastating effect on African American women and children. Bottle-fed infants, who consume mostly formula mixed with tap water, can ingest high levels of lead which leads to developmental delays. When a woman is exposed to lead and other metals in water during pregnancy, she is more likely to miscarry or deliver a pre-term baby. Sadly, African-American children are three times more likely than white children to have highly elevated blood lead levels. This is unacceptable.
A vital solution to safeguard our water, protect our health and the environment is to demand that state and federal governments maintain and enforce sound environmental policies. In three years, the Trump administration has rolled back almost 100 environmental safeguards that keep Americans healthy and safe. The Clean Water Act is the foundation of water quality protection, and by demolishing its safeguards, President Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have undermined lifesaving protections and jeopardized the healthy futures of our country’s most vulnerable populations. This is environmental injustice.
The struggle for clean water and healthy lives is further exacerbated by the Trump administration’s recent budget proposal that reduces the EPA budget by 27%. It is the largest proposed budget cut to any federal agency. During the past three years, weakened federal water policies and the lack of any enforcement have failed Black communities.
We have overcome troubled waters before. We can do it now. The Black Women’s Health Imperative has produced a report on the state of clean water in the U.S. and how existing policies have impacted Black women and their families. This report can be used as a guide by communities to advocate for local policies to help ensure children and families do not suffer the effects of contaminated water and can advocate for climate change protections. Going forward, our efforts will center on reducing and eliminating the environmental impacts on reproductive health and breast cancer. We will continue pushing for clean water protection policies, promoting investments in equitable and affordable water infrastructure, and encouraging programs that support natural infrastructures.
These are urgent times. All voices are needed to demand policies that provide everyone access to clean water, put in place measures that protect low-income communities from the effects of climate change, and put environmental justice at the forefront of all we do. We owe it to our children and ourselves for generations.
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Linda Goler Blount, MPH, is President and CEO of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the physical, mental, and spiritual health and well-being for the nation’s 20 million African American women and girls.
