“Flint’s Unhealed Wounds: A Decade of Injustice and the Quest for Environmental Equity”

The Flint water crisis, a calamitous event that began in 2014, continues to echo across the community nearly a decade later. It originated when Flint’s water supply was switched from Detroit’s system to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure. This decision, made under the administration of then-Governor Richard Snyder, led to catastrophic public health consequences due to the Flint River’s polluted waters and the leaching of lead from aging pipes into the city’s water supply. Residents of Flint, a majority-Black city struggling with poverty, were exposed to lead-contaminated water, resulting in an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that claimed 12 lives and left lasting health impacts on many, especially children.

Despite the severity of the crisis, the quest for justice has been fraught with disappointments and perceived failures. The Michigan Supreme Court refused to hear appeals for the misdemeanor charges against former Governor Snyder, effectively ending criminal prosecutions related to the crisis. This decision was seen as a “slap in the face” by many in the Flint community, who viewed it as a failure of the justice system to hold accountable those responsible for the water crisis.

In the absence of adequate government response initially, Virginia Tech researchers…