Race played significant role in water crisis, civil rights director asserts in Tendaji Talk
By Patsy Isenberg The underlying issue in the Flint water crisis was “the role of race,” Agustin Arbulu, director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, asserted in a Tendaji Talk at the Flint Public Library Dec. 12. In summarizing the work of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission culminating in a report on the water crisis released in February, Arbulu said, “That’s what civil rights is about: how do certain communities end up at...
How the Flint Journal helped oust a Socialist mayor: recapturing a look at Flint’s “yellow journalism” past
by Harold C. Ford Ed. note: this historical analysis originally appeared in the September, 1983 issue of The Michigan Voice, (Vol. 7, No. 6). We are reprinting it with Harold Ford’s permission to complement and offer it as background to his current series “Where are the Journalists?” concluding with Part Three now available here. We reprint this piece as it appeared in 1983, except for lightly editing into AP and...
It’s “Detroit water” for 30 years: Flint city council approves GLWA contract 5-4
By Meghan Christian After a week of marathon-like meetings, the Flint City Council approved Resolution 170354.3, a 30-year contract with the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA), with a close vote of five to four on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Those in favor were Eric Mays (First Ward), Maurice Davis (Second Ward), Santino Guerra (Third Ward), Jerri Winfrey-Carter (Fifth Ward), and Herbert Winfrey (Sixth Ward). Those opposed were Kate Fields...
Online “MapFlint” project offers mass of data for public use
By Jan Worth-Nelson An interactive, open-access mapping project that offers data about the city on everything from educational attainment to median household income to locations of schools, medical services and locations for meal services is now online at mapflint.org/maps.html. The project is a collaboration of two University of Michigan – Flint units, University Outreach and the Geographic Information Center of the Department...
Flint lead exposure “registry” aims to track water crisis health consequences, outcomes
By Jan Worth-Nelson A federally-funded registry to monitor the health of individuals affected by the Flint water crisis is about to launch, Flint pediatrician and crisis luminary Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha told the FACT Community Partners group meeting Thursday under the dome at City Hall. Funding for the program, about $14.4 million awarded to Michigan State University, has been earmarked from a $150 million December, 2016 bill passed...