Flint Water Crisis and Black Health Stigmas

In recent days, the contaminated water in Flint, Michigan has been breaking news, although the situation has been ongoing since 2014. Excess amounts of metal being in the water of black communities is nothing new, but it did give me a realization about stereotypes regarding black health.

There is the stigma about black people "not liking how water tastes", particularly with black women. It is even used in a comedic tone within entertainment industries. My thing is where did this notion come from? And why doesn't a conversation about black water come up?

When I say "black water" I mean the water available in black neighborhoods. I definitely agree that black women aren't fond of drinking water; but it is not solely because of its taste, but its contaminants. There needs to be more conversations about the value of black water, as that topic has risen since Flint.

Lead found in water is almost twice as high in black communities as opposed to white ones. The fact that Flint happened in result of an attempt to cut spending shows how the government is not invested in black health. Anyone who lives near the Flint River already knew it was a horrible idea to drink this water. However, it took over a year to consider the epidemic a state emergency.

When the water supply is literally brown, why are we weary to react? Why is the health and safety of low income communities compromisable if it'll benefit the governments pockets? This is classist genocide. I won't even get into Michigan's lackadaisical steps to fix the problem they created; I'll just say an irresponsible decision compromised thousands of people's health.

Going back to my main point, about black women not liking the taste of water, I want to reiterate that our water is not your regular water. Metal changes the taste of water; our bodies reject that sensation. So the next time you hear or think of criticizing someone for not liking the taste of water, consider where their water supply is coming from. Know what's in their water. Of course Flint is an extreme case of toxic water, being that the water and the health effects were drastic, however there are plenty of areas in the US, particularly in high concentrated cities, where the water has high amounts of lead.

Use water filters as well as bottled water when accessible. It is great to know so many have donated to Flint. I just hope governments can learn not to cut corners from this and respect black bodies and black health moving onward.