The Civil Caucus will include a brief update on the current environment and issues in the civil legal aid community, followed by a dynamic discussion on environmental injustice and, specifically, access to safe drinking water. The Flint Water Emergency, exposed in 2016, opened many blind eyes to serious racial and socioeconomic implications – both with regard to who has access to safe drinking water and who is affected when leadership cuts corners. The community in Flint joined together to demand accountability and remedies. Three years later, the replacement of Flint’s lead-lined pipes is almost complete. But millions of people across the country are at risk of water poisoning, and many more face other types of environmental injustice. This discussion will include an overview of Flint’s experience and how communities across the country can continue to learn and build upon each other’s success as they demand environmental justice.
