NAACP President Derrick Johnson’s Statement on Jackson, MS Water Crisis

Somehow, in the year 2022, equality and justice remain out of reach for Black communities across America. The disparities facing our community are stark - just look at the catastrophe unfolding in my hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. More than a hundred thousand people, the majority of whom are Black, are without safe access to drinking water for the foreseeable future.

This crisis is the direct result of the failures of politicians who have put party and politics over the issues that will help people in communities like Jackson, Mississippi, Flint, Michigan, and the many other majority Black cities that have been left behind for too long. We need elected officials who will put people over politics and will address issues that impact Black communities.

While the NAACP continues to mobilize volunteers, clean water distribution efforts, and collaboration with local, state, and federal administrations, we remind elected officials that those seeking to win our vote must show they are with us, and they will fight for us.