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Many Native Americans Can't Get Clean Water, Report Finds

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Many Native Americans Can't Get Clean Water, Report Finds

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When no one was able to answer the question "How many Americans don't have running water or a working toilet where they live," the nonprofit, DigDeep, talked to experts around the country to write a report called Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States.

Listen to this 3-minute piece from National Public Radio to learn about some of the key findings of the report, especially the challenges faced by the Native American community.  As the article says:

"58 out of every 1,000 Native American households lack plumbing, compared with 3 out of every 1,000 white households."

After listening to/reading this article, why do you think there are so many more Native Americans without access to clean water than white Americans?  Is it environmental?  Is it political?  Is it racism?

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For many people, turning on the tap or flushing the toilet is something we take for granted. But a report released Monday, called "Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States," shows that more than 2 million Americans live without these conveniences and that Native Americans are more likely to have trouble accessing water than any other group.

The nearest water station for Darlene Yazzie is 9 miles away at the Dennehotso Chapter House - a community center - in the Four Corners region of the Navajo Nation. On Tuesday, she counted her dimes and nickels to pay for water. It costs $1.10 plus gas money to fill up two 50-gallon barrels, and she has just been told the price is going up next month.

Yazzie lugged a T-shaped key as tall as her out to the well, where she dropped it down into the hole and turned the crank to open the valve.

Water gushed into the plastic barrel. A cool mist from a leak in the hose rained over her. This is Yazzie's drinking water. For her animals, she usually drives to a windmill, but on this day it was empty and the sheep were thirsty.

"There's no water in the windmill," Yazzie said. "It's dry because it's not blowing. The only way they have water is if it's blowing."

Yazzie said the windmill water isn't safe for humans anyway. Officials told her arsenic and uranium levels are too high. Yazzie and many others give the water to their animals, even though they plan to eat them.

"A lot of people died of cancer around here," Yazzie said. "I noticed that more are being diagnosed. I'm pretty sure it's because of the environment and the water."

The groundwater in some areas has been contaminated by the 521 abandoned uranium mines. The new report, by DigDeep and the U.S. Water Alliance, says gastric cancer rates doubled in the 1990s where uranium mining occurred. Unregulated drinking water sources are the greatest public health risk on the Navajo Nation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Fifty-eight out of every 1,000 Native American households lack plumbing, compared with 3 out of every 1,000 white households, according to the report. This disparity has implications for public health. Native Americans experience more deaths, poverty and higher unemployment rates.

"We knew the problem was much bigger, but when we went out to look at the data, it didn't exist," said George McGraw, the founder of DigDeep, a nonprofit that has helped build water systems on the Navajo Nation. "No one could tell us, from federal to state agencies to other nonprofits, just how many Americans still don't have running water or a working toilet where they live."

So McGraw commissioned experts from around the U.S. to piece together the data they did have and come up with the water gap report. What he found was that race is the strongest predictor of water and sanitation access.

A century ago, water-borne illnesses were a leading cause of death. The U.S. government invested in modern water and sanitation systems and nearly eradicated those diseases. But some communities were passed over.

"Our nations didn't have access to funding for infrastructure in the same way that it's federally allocated for cities and states overall," said Mahrinah von Schlegel, an anthropologist from San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico.

She said that in the Southwest, it's expensive to build pipelines across such remote sparsely populated tribal nations.

"It's been a struggle, one, to get the access to that infrastructure capital, and then, two, it's really expensive to develop some of these remote areas," von Schlegel said.

In Mexican Water, the next town over from Dennehotso, Richard Nelson helped his elderly mother haul water.

Nelson has been asking community leaders when his mom is going to get clean running water.

"A chapter official told me, 'Yeah, we're going to have running water,' " Nelson said. " 'We're going to start laying the pipe.' It took another two whole years to do the piping system. Then they said we're going to have water in a year. And that was two years ago."

Today federal funding for water infrastructure is a small percentage of what it once was. Across the country, 44 million people are served by water systems that recently had Safe Drinking Water Act violations. The Indian Health Service estimated that it would cost $200 million to provide basic water and sanitation access on the Navajo Nation.

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Many Native Americans Can't Get Clean Water, Report Finds

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For many people, turning on the tap or flushing the toilet is something we take for granted. But a report released Monday, called "Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States," shows that more than 2 million Americans live without these conveniences and that Native Americans are more likely to have trouble accessing water than any other group.

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Write a hashtag (#) to describe the water in this image.

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After watching this video explain, using details from the video, why is it important to have clean/safe water to drink, cook, and clean?

Does this video make you think getting clean water is only a problem in countries outside the United States?

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If you saw President Obama drinking a glass of water from the city of Flint, Michigan, what would it make you think about that water?

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If you saw President Obama drinking a glass of water from the city of Flint, Michigan, what would it make you think about that water?

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Look at this photo.  If President Obama offered you this water, would you drink it?  Explain why THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES offering this water to people might make a strong statement about the QUALITY and SAFETY of this city's water.

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Why would there be two fountains so close together?

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Why would there be two fountains so close together?

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Water is a key element of life.  There was a law that said these two water fountains had to exist.  Why?  What message does this law send in terms of racist ideas? In terms of white supremacy? How/why was water used to support these horrible ideas?

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Map of Households in the U.S. Without Running Water

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Map of Households in the U.S. Without Running Water

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What do you notice in this map? What questions do you have?

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Compare this map to the one above.
- What do you notice?
- Are there patterns shared between the two maps?
- What questions do you have?

FROM: https://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2014/01/05/poverty-map/index.html

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Inkwell, a historically Black beach on the island of Martha's Vineyard, is a resistance.

Along with the attached article, is a ~10 minute video exploring this topic.

After reading/watching, write 2 paragraphs explaining what you think about Inkwell Beach. ALSO be sure to explain WHY YOU THINK THIS ARTICLE WAS INCLUDED IN OUR WORK!

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Claiming land and water on Martha’s Vineyard - The Boston Globe

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Who is getting their water fixed after the storms that froze the South?

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Who is getting their water fixed after the storms that froze the South?

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If we learn something we aren't satisfied with, how do we impact that?

Read about the current struggle in Jackson, Mississippi to restore water to people that live there after February's winter storm that damaged a lot of the infrastructure there.

After reading answer these three questions:

1. Why are people in Jackson, Mississippi still struggling to get water after February's storm?

2. What do you think are possible solutions to help cities like Jackson provide clean/safe water for the people that live there?

3. What do you think the best actions for people in Jackson to take would be, to make sure they do not have this problem in the future?

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It's 2021.  People In Jackson, Mississippi Haven't Had Water For Weeks

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Why did Obama visit Flint?  (The shortest version you will ever read!).  

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Why did Obama visit Flint?  (The shortest version you will ever read!).  

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Obama was visiting Flint two years after the drinking water in Flint had been changed from the Great Lakes to the Flint River.  This made a lot of money for friends of then Governor Gary Synder.  A LOT of money (Synder is now facing criminal charges).  The cost was horrible lead poisoning and illness in the people of Flint, who are mostly people of color and poor.  Lead poisoning causes brain damage, especially in children, that can never be fixed.  It can cause severe behavioral and learning challenges among many other very difficult things (Google "Lead poisoning" if you want to learn more).

After watching this short video, what would you say was the President's message to the people of Flint?  What in the video made you think that was his message? How do you think people in Flint felt about what he said?

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Obama assesses Flint water crisis up close - CNN Politics

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President Barack Obama witnessed first-hand Wednesday how residents of Flint, Michigan, have endured their city's public health crisis, drinking sips of filtered water in front of cameras as he insisted politicians resolve the man-made disaster.

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The People of Flint were not impressed with Obama's appearance.

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The People of Flint were not impressed with Obama's appearance.

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Michael Moore grew up in Flint, Michigan and voted, twice, for Obama.  He is a famous documentary film maker.  He was "disappointed" with Obama's visit.  Why?

Moore talked to CNN after the President's trip to Flint to discuss Obama's pledge to city-- saying "I've got your back" while drinking a glass of filtered Flint water.  It was a message that upset the film maker.

"He is just trying to reassure people that everything's okay," Moore said. "To drink from a glass of Flint water when a number of experts are still saying this water's not safe? It's still going through the same, old lead pipes? It was such a disappointing thing to see . . . he hopes that Flint can get back to where it was. Where was that? You mean before the water crisis two years ago, after we'd lost 75,000 jobs for people making cars for General Motors? Back to then? Or are we talking about back to 20-30 years ago when people here could actually get good-paying jobs? I mean, Flint is a city that's really been destroyed."

Below is a Facebook post Moore wrote one week before Obama visited Flint.

After reading and discussing Moore's post, write about how he argues people are using water as a weapon for racism?

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Michael Moore calls Barack Obama drinking Flint water 'disappointing'

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Baltimore Fixes Racial Water Injustice According to Income

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Baltimore Fixes Racial Water Injustice According to Income

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Access this Google Doc about how Baltimore is working to make sure everyone in the city is able to afford clean, safe water.

Make a copy for yourself (directions are on the Doc).

The final prompts are at the bottom of the Google Doc.  Be sure to use your own ideas AND evidence from the article in your answers.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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From the Yale University's Environment 360, we have a look at how hip hop artists have attempted to address environmental challenges faced by people of color living in cities.  After reading, answer these questions:

Why would a hip-hop artist choose WATER as a a subject of a song?

What do these lyrics teach you about the struggle to have clean water in America?

"In his 1999 song “New World Water,” Brooklyn native Yasiin Bey (then known as Mos Def) breaks down the challenges some communities face in getting clean water, especially in the urban environment."

It’s the new world water, and every drop counts
You can laugh and take it as a joke if you wanna
But it don’t rain for four weeks some summers
And it’s about to get real wild in the half
You be buying Evian just to take a f___in’ bath
Heads is acting wild, sippin’ poor, puffin’ dank
Competin’ with the next man for higher playin’ rank
See I ain’t got time try to be Big Hank,
F___ a bank; I need a twenty-year water tank
‘Cause while these knuckleheads is out here sweatin’ they goods
The sun is sitting in the treetops burnin’ the woods
And as the flames from the blaze get higher and higher
They say, ‘Don’t drink the water! We need it for the fire!’

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Catherine Coleman Flowers, 2020 McArthur Fellow, brings attention to failing water and waste infrastructure and its role in perpetuating inequities. 

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Catherine Coleman Flowers, 2020 McArthur Fellow, brings attention to failing water and waste infrastructure and its role in perpetuating inequities. 

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The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, we work to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and understand how technology is affecting children and society.

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Why Makaśa Looking Horse is Fighting for the Right to Water against Nestle Corporation

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Why Makaśa Looking Horse is Fighting for the Right to Water against Nestle Corporation

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23-year-old Makasa Looking Horse takes on Nestle Corporation for removing 4.7 million liters daily from her community's ground water to bottle and sell while her community remains without clean drinking water.

Would you be willing to fight a giant company like Nestle, that makes around $14 BILLION every year? Do you think the company should be helping Makala's community more?

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Why Makaśa Looking Horse is Fighting for the Right to Water

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An Indigenous activist on how a lack of access to clean water is affecting First Nations communities

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Abel Olivio: Defensores de la Cuenca/Defenders of the Watershed

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Abel Olivio: Defensores de la Cuenca/Defenders of the Watershed

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Abel Olivio, cofounder and executive director of Defensores de la Cuenca/Defenders of the Watershed, is working to connect Latino communities in the Cheaspeake Bay, in the Maryland/Virginia area to promote cleanups (picking up trash), family-friendly activities, and a leadership academy to create a new generation of leaders/stewards that will protect and care for their watersheds (an area where all water drains/goes to a common point/place) and champions for the environment among Latinos.

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Olivo's activism centers on Prince George's County, Maryland, where Latin@ residents have increasingly found a home, representing a growth of 7%-20% of the county population during 2000-2020. Olivo has nurtured Latin@s by creating and supporting many opportunities for children and families to access nature, for example by serving on the planning committee of the popular Festival del Rio Anacostia in years past, or by coordinating park clean-ups, during this COVID era.

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Jahnaiza's Response to This

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What does it mean that water is used as a weapon of racism? Click + to add your first thoughts below.

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What does it mean that water is used as a weapon of racism? Click + to add your first thoughts below.

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If someone told you water is used as a weapon of racism, what would you think?  What does this even mean?  HOW could water be used by racist people as a weapon?  WHY would water be used by racist people as a weapon?

Before starting this work, write your FIRST reactions/ideas to these questions below.  You can add a video/audio of you speaking your response if you would prefer as well.

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Water can't be racist.  It is water.  It actually took me some time, and a few conversations with people, to understand the difference between saying people use water for racist ideas and saying water is racist.  It's an important difference though!  Why?  Because things are not racist by themselves - racism is created/continued by people!

I hope with this work, we will be able to learn about/discuss how these basic needs are made into weapons to keep people oppressed.

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Water can't be racist because it is not a living thing and it's not something that would think about things. If water were to be racist it would be business itself to people with money because they are making profit for themself where that’s why most of these poor countries don't have clean water because they don't have enough  money and water wouldn't make a business with someone that does not have money. Since water is not racist everyone can have water but not the same amount or access as other people. Most of the countries were surrounded by money to get clean water for their country. Other countries they don't have as much money as the rich countries and can not afford the clean water as those other countries. The fact that some countries have more money than others is racist.

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I agreed with Alfry because water can't be racist just the people who control it. it could be used as a weapon because we need water to survive.

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What would it cost the richest person in Arizona to provide clean water to EVERYONE in the Navajo Nation?

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What would it cost the richest person in Arizona to provide clean water to EVERYONE in the Navajo Nation?

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Ernest Garcia II is the richest person in Arizona.

He made his money selling used cars and has a net worth of $15.9 billion.

Click the chart below to see what percent of his net worth would be needed to get clean water to EVERYONE in the Navajo Nation.

After looking at this, do you think Ernest Garcia II should pay the $200,000,000 to get everyone on the Navajo Nation clean water? Explain why or why not.

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Daniel                                                               

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Daniel                                                               

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I believe water can be used as a weapon for racism because only a few ethnic groups are able to get water due to social standards. Water is a weapon of racism because only those who are liked are able to attain getting water. For example most  third world countries struggle to get help getting clean water.
The struggles of water control also happens in the US but its a bit different. In third world countries the water they are able to get has many bacteria such as hepatitis. In the US the pipes that are used to transport water are old and are tainting the water with lead.

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water can use a weapon for racism for all people that don't like other they can use the water just for a couple of them.

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I believe it is possible that water could be used as a weapon of racism. Every human being has human rights and needs, and water Is an essential factor. If a certain race or group of people prevented another race or group of people from accessing water, yes I believe that is a weapon of racism.

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it can determine the safety and health benefits to surviving. making it unsafe and unclean to use or come in contact with. not having a clean water source is a great way to get some people to move, which is a part of a racial scheme called gentrification. if the main water sources to daily living is impacted. for example, people in flint, michigan

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DigDeep is Addressing Freshwater Access in Communities That Need  It

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DigDeep is Addressing Freshwater Access in Communities That Need  It

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This non-profit organization is working with a number of communities around the country, including  the Navaho Nation and Appalachia, to provide them with access to clean fresh water.  They dig deeoly into the ground, install a large water tank, fill that water tank with fresh clean water from a truck, and then install plumbing.  Amazing work! Here is their web page for more information about their work:  https://www.digdeep.org/

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We Are DigDeep

We're a human rights nonprofit serving the 2.2 million+ Americans without the sinks, bathtubs or toilets that the rest of us take for granted.
Learn More

one hundred percent

100% of donations fund water projects in the US.
Give Water

Give clean, running water.

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We're a human rights nonprofit serving the 2.2 million+ Americans without the sinks, bathtubs or toilets that the rest of us take for granted. Learn More 100% of donations fund water projects in the US. Give Water

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This non-profit organization believes that Latino communities have a right to access clean, reliable, and affordable water for drinking, recreation,infrastructure law could be a good model for other cities because it will have a higher percentage of people that are healthy from the water they now have access to.. Water is a human right and unfortunately their communities have access in disproportionate ways. See what they are doing about it!

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GreenLatinos believes that Latino communities have a right to access clean, reliable, and affordable water for drinking, recreation, economic stability and for community health. We also believe that clean and healthy water is vital to a healthy environment. Water is a human right and unfortunately our communities have access in disproportionate ways.

To this day millions of people are without safe, clean, and affordable drinking water throughout the U.S. and many are in Latino and BIPOC communities. Our infrastructure is aging, and it will take billions to replace in the next twenty years. As federal funding for infrastructure is decreasing, utilities are raising their prices and water is becoming unaffordable in low-income communities and communities of color. Moreover, to this day, more than two million people in the U.S. lack the basic access to clean water and our Latinx communities are twice as likely to lack complete plumbing in their households. There is a clear need and a lack of federal funding to protect clean water for the most vulnerable in our community. While our nation's water is under threat, now more than ever, our Latinx community needs to be at the forefront to advocate for equitable policies that protect our water and our community's right to access it.

GreenLatinos and our water equity core priority is addressing these issues through awareness, advocacy for strong policy, investment, and outreach in our communities that advances clean water access and affordability. GreenLatinos work on water equity seeks to advance our Latino communities through infrastructure investment, access to clean water for rural and urban communities, addressing water affordability and advancement of racial equity.

Working Groups

The Water Equity Working Group at GreenLatinos focuses on the current issues and opportunities in and around water-related issues. The working group seeks to address and advocate for water equity, affordability, and accessibility.

The working group focuses on these efforts through sharing information and resources, uplifting and learning from our Latinx experts and leaders in the water sector, and taking direct, intentional, and meaningful action. The group has efforts in place to defend water protection at the national level especially rollbacks to clean accessible water.

Additionally, we seek to make water protections more just to our Latino and communities of color. The recent repeals of legislation that protects our clean water, and the rollbacks that make it easier to pollute our surface water are only helping to create disparities in an already unjust water system. We are supporting legislation to provide clean and affordable water, this includes water moratoriums, infrastructure funding with an environmental justice lens, and subsidizing water costs for low-income and communities of color through grants.

We work on recognizing that water is intersectional with climate change, public health, wildlife, and habitat. Our working group is learning how to better advocate for clean water access in rural agricultural communities, as well as urban communities. By advocating for water equity, affordability, and accessibility for our Latinx, and other communities of color, we understand the huge positive impact it can have on our communities and on our environment.

Achievements

GreenLatinos has included racial equity and environmental justice within its working group discussion. Recent discussions in our working group calls have included speakers from different organizations focusing on water management to vulnerable communities.

GreenLatinos has been involved in fighting trump rollbacks actions to dismantle our clean water, including but not limited to, the Navigable Waters Protection Rule aka Dirty Water Rule, Section 401, Water Quality Certification Rule, Coal Ash Rule and much more. We joined forces with other Latino organizations to denounce their attempt to dismantle the Clean Water Rule part of the Clean Water Act. We have joined sign-on letters to Congressional leadership in solidarity with other environmental groups on clean water issues.

GreenLatinos has also provided training for GreenLatinos members on water issues and then letting them advocate members of Congress every year during GreenLatinos' National Fly-Ins, and we have also helped advocate for water issues by having GreenLatinos staff and leadership speak on water issues at a wide variety of in-person and digital events and conferences.

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GreenLatinos believes that Latino communities have a right to access clean, reliable, and affordable water for drinking, recreation, economic stability and for community health. We also believe that clean and healthy water is vital to a healthy environment. Water is a human right and unfortunately our communities have access in disproportionate ways.

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water might be used as a weapon of racism to control a poor crowd. In our country fresh water is available everywhere no matter what; in third world countries people don't have that complete  option to get a cup,shower, etc. so with that being said they're content with being over worked and disrespected; treated inhumanely.

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The people's realization. #water (added by Larry 4/29/20)

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The people's realization. #water (added by Larry 4/29/20)

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Larry's Summary:
People walk up to this stand easy. they probably have just left the house hopped in a car and pulled up to this plaza's location. they get asked if they want to "buy" water but the only catch is how they "buy" it. in exchange for their empathy they walk as far the back story explained. and get told the risks they don't have.

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER AFTER:
- Which video do you think would do a better job to get people to care about dirty water/actually do something?  Why is that one more effective?

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How far would you walk to find clean drinking water? | UNICEF

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U.S. Senate Approves $35 BILLION Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021.

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U.S. Senate Approves $35 BILLION Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021.

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The U.S. Government understands the importance of access to clean/safe water for all people.  In the U.S. Senate, the $35 Billion Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 was just passed to make sure people around the country, get the clean water they deserve.

The bill (proposed law) includes $200 million over 4 years for Native American Nations.  As one senator said, clean water is not an issue that impacts only one political party.  It is something that EVERYONE has a right to.  Only 2 senators voted against the new law (Republicans Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas).  The bill now has to be approved by the House of Representatives.

If the House approves, the bill will be sent to President Biden.  If he signs it (agrees to it) it will become law.

Use THIS LINK to open the Google Doc with the article/work.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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There is no doubt in the statement that water is a essential part of our lives and falls under the basic necessities needed in order to survive in this world. If we were to to weaponize water, the question surrounding whether or not there is something morally wrong in society would be asked. There are regulations and acts of safety in effect for things such as food services, amusement parks, human public servants services, and so on. Why stop there? Why do we stop halfway regarding the standards for living?  In comparison to entertainment services and food services, the importance of water still reigns above the rest in terms of survivability and it's affect on health. It's obvious that water alone has a vital and significant role in human lives so why is it that there are people out there using contaminated and hazardous water in order to get by? It is clear that if someone was given the option to choose between "polluted water" and "clean water", they would choose the latter. The question regarding the importance of water is no longer needed to be asked but is instead replaced with the next obvious question; why aren't we all drinking clean water? What could we benefit from by monopolizing clean water and turning a blind eye towards the standards and safety for water? Why isn't it in our best interest to ensure that everyone around us as a whole is AT LEAST drinking clean water?

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we need water to survive in this world. Water has great value on the planet for both people. animals and plants without water we and the world could experience much more drought. Without clean water we also would have many more diseases. also,

Without clean water, life would be much more serious and with more problems based on the health of the planet

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After reading/responding to at least three examples of the people and organizations above working to improve access to clean water, describe (in writing or voice/film):

1. What are 3 lessons/ideas that you think people should be aware of that makes their work effective?

2. What are the three most important things for advocates/activists to do/say to make sure they are successful helping people get clean water)?

3. Which of these examples is most inspiring to you? Why?

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Ms. Dykens reached out to several people who had served time in prison (5 men and 1 woman) to ask them about their experiences.  They had served in different facilities around Massachusetts.

After reading their responses, answer these questions:

1. Does it seem like these people had good water when they were in prison?

2. What other questions would you want to ask about water in prisons?

3. Are there any laws in Massachusetts about providing prisoners with clean/safe water? (You will need to Google this and do some independent research!)

4. Would you make any changes to prisons in terms of how people are able to get water?  Explain what you would/would not change and why you would/would not make those changes.

Below are some of their responses to her questions.

How often is water available to you while in prison?
All 6 replied that they got it at meal times, when they would get 1 cup.

All 6 also replied that they had a sink in their cells they could get water from.

What did you think of the water you had?

5 said that the water always had a dirt or metal taste to it. They explained that if they did not have people from the outside giving them money to buy Kool-Aid  to disguise the taste it was difficult to drink.  Especially if they didn't add things like Kool-Aid, then the water sometimes would make them sick to their stomachs.

If the water wasn't good, what could you do?
1 person said he had a job and would make $1 a day.  He would save up a to buy a 6 pack of water.  It would take 2 weeks of work to get enough money to buy those 6 bottles of water (consider how much that water must have cost.  How much can you buy 6 bottles of water for in your neighborhood?).

1 person said that at times if a certain cell would have better tasting water then they would trade with the person that was assigned to that cell.  To get one cup of water, they would often trade a snack or a phone call.

Another person said that the water in showers sometimes tasted better, so he would drink while in the shower.  He would just open his mouth and let it pour in.

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Water Dippers: Simple Items Speak to History of Inequality.

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Water Dippers: Simple Items Speak to History of Inequality.

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Jim Crow Laws were very recently a way to keep Black people oppressed and support White supremacy in the United States.   These two simple scoops, used to get water, are an illustration of the racism behind those laws and ideas.

After reading the information about these two water scoops, answer the following questions:

1. How does it make you feel that these were used?  Explain why.

2. Why did these scoops reinforce racist ideas?  Was it important that they were used to get water?

3. Why might some people argue/claim that these aren't racist?  Or that these aren't a "big deal"?

4. What do you think it would have been like if a Black person and White person went to get water at the same time?  How would these two scoops change that interaction?

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Jim Crow restrictions separated the races in America in every aspect of public life. Restaurants, buses, trains, restrooms, theatres, water fountains and workplaces posted "White Only" and "Colored" signs to remind people of their place.

These water dippers (circa 1940) were donated to the Civil Rights Museum in the memory of R.L. Bryant by Jim Gatling and Beverly O'Bryant Gilton. They were found on the property of the Arkansas plumbing company owned by Ralph Levert O'Bryant. When the employees worked outdoors during the hot Arkansas summers, they used the dippers to scoop water out of the communal water bucket.

At first glance, these brown, rusted ladles look unexceptional, except for one interesting feature - the hand painted letter on the back of each. One dipper is marked "W" for whites and the other "C" for colored. Even though the dippers were for the same bucket, the influence of Jim Crow segregation seeped so deeply into the lives of southerners that drinking from the same implement was anathema.

The water dippers are part of our education collection and are a provocative example of the way in which Jim Crow laws subjected African Americans to racial discrimination in their daily lives. Since the museum received them in 1998, hundreds of school children have viewed this artifact and have learned how even the simplest items can speak volumes about the history of inequality in America.

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Jim Crow restrictions separated the races in America in every aspect of public life. Restaurants, buses, trains, restrooms, theatres, water fountains and workplaces posted "White Only" and "Colored" signs to remind people of their place. These water dippers (circa 1940) were donated to the Civil Rights Museum in the memory of R.L.

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In 2021, Are Georgia Lawmakers Using Water as a Weapon to Stop people from Voting?

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In 2021, Are Georgia Lawmakers Using Water as a Weapon to Stop people from Voting?

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After Donald Trump lost the presidential election in 2020, he, and many of his supporters, claimed that the election was stolen/rigged, especially in Georgia, which saw a large number of Black voters swing the state for Joe Biden AND elect two Democratic Senators.  In response, Georgia has dramatically changed its voting laws, which many people see as a move to disenfranchise (take away the vote) from people of color.  Watch this video and read the article attached.  Then explain:
- Do you think Georgia's new voting law is a good law or not?
- Will it make elections "safer" and "more secure"?
- Why will elections be better if it is now a crime to give people food and water while they wait in line to vote?

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georgia's new election law prohibits giving food and water to voters in line - cnnpolitics

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It's now illegal in Georgia to give food and water to voters in line

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Some observers see the provision as an attempt to curb voting by urban voters and people of color who lean Democratic and whose precincts often have long waits to cast ballots.

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Behind the old South Boston High

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Grammatical errors celebrating the American Revolution, etch in stone.

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Dorchester Heights - site of George Washington's first victory during the American Revolution.

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I do believe that water is being used as a weapon by racist people around the world. For water to be used as a weapon is to make it inaccessible or unsafe to consume. Racist individuals can used this to their advantage against those they fear.

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As humans we all need water to survive. If we consume dirty water it causes sickness or even death in extreme cases. Life without clean water exists in other countries like Uganda.

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Different water supply was accessible to each race group. That makes me wonder if every supply is safe.

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A lot of the states that are high poverty also have low water supply.

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"Swim-In" Protest Met with Acid Poured Into Pool

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"Swim-In" Protest Met with Acid Poured Into Pool

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In June 1964, James Brock dumped acid into the water at the Monson Motor Lodge in St. Augustine, Fla. He was trying to disrupt and stop swimmers who were protesting the hotel's whites-only policy. Why would this have happened?  Who did the law support?

(From National Public Radio)

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I agree that water can be used for racism

because sometimes in some places where people who have money have more water or the force of the water is better. I also believe that the best benefits are given to people with better income than to people with low resources.

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president Barack Obama thinks the water now i good but in the past about 2 years the water looked like chocolatemilk it would be a bad option to accept and drink that water.

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Read about the history of Carson Beach and debate how/if the city should remember what has happened there.

1. Make a copy of the Google Doc
2. Title the new copy "YOUR NAME, Carson Beach"
3. Share the new doc with jkatzman@bostonpublicschools.org

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Reflections on the scars left by using water as a weapon of racism

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Reflections on the scars left by using water as a weapon of racism

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This is a reflective post, written by a teacher, that exams some of the psychological (mental/emotional) scars that are left when racists use something as important/essential as water to make other people feel "less than".

After reading answer these questions in the comments:

1. Why would racists use WATER as a weapon?
2. What impact does using WATER as a weapon of racism have on people, especially young people, that are the target of the hate/violence?

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Photo by Charles Moore. Retrieved from https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/firefighters-aiming-high-pressure-water-hoses-at-civil-rights-demonstrators

By: LaNika Barnes

As a child, many of my fondest memories are connected to water. I have cheeky pictures that my family always seem to pull out of nowhere, that show me smiling in the bathtub with my beloved toy of choice. In school, my friends and I seemed to always find time to catch up on what happened on the playground, around the water fountain after recess. My parents have snapshots of me and my cousins laughing and running from the cold sprays of water from the hose.

These memories I hold, however, were not always the reality for many children, especially those in the American South, who grew up during the era of Jim Crow. The snapshots in the photo records of American history, involving the precious resource of water, all too often reflect uncertainty, terror, and pain.

Between the dates of May 2-5, 1963, Black school children of all ages, sizes, gender, and backgrounds assembled at the 16th Street Church to take a stand for civil rights justice. I can only imagine that these brave young people had no idea that something, like water, of which they played in with their brothers and sisters, as well as used to cool, nourish, and care for their bodies would be turned into a weapon by those who opposed their existence. Water, a life giving compound which makes up the majority of our bodies, would for so many of these children leave physiological scars that would follow them long after the May 2nd event.

I was reminded of this, 56 years later, while sitting in a comfortable chair, drinking from my water bottle and absorbing the wisdom of Dr. Tondra L. Loder-Jackson at the University of Virginia's 2019 Teachers in the Movement Institute. My very presence in this space flowed directly from that moment, when those young people felt the sting of the water spray from the hoses, manned by Birmingham's local police and fire departments. On that day, the images of their physical and psychological sacrifices, which were reflected on television screens around the world, opened up rivers of opportunities, such as this one, for me.

Prior to May 2, 1963, and for some time after, water would be used as one of many commodities to divide and not unite. Throughout my immersive Teachers in the Movement experience, I thought about the other segregationist tactics used to inflict psychological warfare in the minds of Black children, during the Jim Crow area. I pictured the Black only and White only signs which hung above public water fountains. The Black only fountains often were no more than rust stained sinks pumping warm tap water. Though affixed to the same wall, they were in direct contrast to the modern, White only fountains which had the capability of producing cooling water. For some, water fountain trauma is inconceivable, but for a child thirsting for equal representation and acceptance, as a valuable part of the human race, it most certainly is a reality.

Not all of our time at the Teachers in the Movement Institute was spent inside of a nice comfortable space. As we exited the building, the heat of the Virginia summer brought to mind one of my favorite childhood pastimes involving H20: swimming in the community pool. How can swimming pools cause lasting psychological trauma, one might ask? Imagine the internal, emotional struggle of always being a child looking into the privileged world of others, recreationally enjoying a resource that is supposed to be available to all. Trying to grapple with why you cannot, because of your Black skin, play in a hole in the ground filled with water like the White children. Wondering why the America in which you were born, sees you as more likely to spread communicable disease if you were to enter the water. Why the city in which you were born established laws in which you could be dragged out of a pool and be beaten for just wanting to be a kid. Scarred by the picture of perfectly good water being drained out of the local swimming hole and the surface being scoured with chlorine bleach because you dared to stick your feet in the deep end. I can only imagine.

So now the essential question: what does this have to do with teachers being involved in the movement? From the day that Black children were allowed access to formalized education and spaces previously only accessible to White children, teachers have not only had to focus on content instruction but also mending psychological scars. Segregationists understood that limiting access and producing distinguished inequities, connected to one of life's most important and precious resources, had the capability of weakening the psyche of communities. Even in 2019, we can see remnants of this as: (1) school children in Flint are being piped contaminated water, (2) oil pipelines threaten the waterways of Indigenous peoples in Standing Rock, North Dakota, and (3) community pools across the country are posting signs banning burqas, dreads and weaves. All evidence that we, as a nation, are still trying to grapple with how far all citizens can wade in the provisional water.

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Wade in the Water: The Psychological Impact of Jim Crow and H20 (Water) | Teachers In The Movement

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Photo by Charles Moore. Retrieved from https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/firefighters-aiming-high-pressure-water-hoses-at-civil-rights-demonstrators By: LaNika Barnes As a child, many of my fondest memories are connected to water. I have cheeky pictures that my family always seem to pull out of nowhere, that show me smiling in the bathtub with my beloved toy of choice.

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how is water used as racism, i dont believe this is possible