Contributed to PWP by Melissa Mays.
Day #1533 in the #FlintWaterCrisis: We Matter.
Today I had a long talk with a Flint resident and she told me that she's not sure she can continue fighting. That she feels the world has forgotten us and that we are on our own. She posts about her medical problems and her water bill and her struggle to keep positive for her kids but is not sure how to keep on. Now when she posts people don't seem to care that she's a person who is hurting. She gets told that it's "not that bad" and that Flint is "old news" or "you guys are fixed so why are you complaining?" She has rashes on her chest and arms that she feels worsen in the shower and her little boy has to get an expensive oil that eases the pain of his rashes all over his little body. Their doctors are doing what they can to help ease the pain. You can see they're in pain. She wants to know why we have been forgotten and if it worth fighting anymore.
I reminded her that we have been on our own for years. It was our strength and demands for answer that got us this far. Asking questions and standing up for her young children is what helped us expose what was being done to us. I let her know that she's not alone. That people all across this City have similar, yet different stories to tell. Each one is important. And as long as she tells her story, she may reach one more person so they don't feel so alone. No, the fight is not over, far from it. But we can't stop until we are made whole. We deserve that. We matter. As long as we don't let anyone silence us by convincing us we are not human beings with good days, bad days, pain, imperfections, dreams and fears and stories that matter, we will prevail. We are human beings who deserve justice and to be treated with respect because we are strong and no one should ever even try to convince us or others that we are less than.
No comments:
Post a Comment