Due to climate change and government neglect, the people of Jackson, Mississippi, a majority Black city, are entirely without running water. Resources are urgently needed to provide water to people. Pitch in now to support organizations like Cooperation Jackson and the Mississippi Rapid Response Coalition – Water Fund that are working to get people the water they need. The Mississippi government (like Michigan before it) has failed Black people by denying Jackson the resources needed to update their failing water infrastructure. (Learn more about the situation from Kali Akuno here).
From Cooperation Jackson: “The Governor has declared a state of emergency and is deploying the national guard to supply water to the residents of Jackson. However, to ensure that aid is delivered directly to the people of our community in West Jackson, we are engaging in an autonomous relief effort to ensure that the homeless, the elderly, and those with limited transportation in our community get the resources they need.
“We are asking all of our friends, comrades, and fellow cooperators to join us in the effort. Please donate generously at https://cooperationjackson.org/donate. Please spread the word to your family and friends and encourage them to donate.”
This week also marks the 17th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The George W. Bush administration left poor Black people to die after the levees broke, and the systemic poverty and racism of this society was made plain. Then as now, the people relied on one another to survive.
Catalyst was deeply shaped by Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath. Early Catalyst Project collective members spent months on the ground in New Orleans, organizing people and working on mutual aid efforts led by longtime left and radical organizers at Community Labor United, People’s Hurricane Relief Fund, Critical Resistance, the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, and the Common Ground Collective. This work clarified the need for social movements of millions of people to create institutions, communities and systems which build racial and social justice in our day-to-day lives. Catalyst’s work is still guided by this vision.
Organizations like Cooperation Jackson and Mississippi Rapid Response Coalition – Water Fund are doing this work today. Donate to support them in meeting this crisis and building towards self-determination in the face of racist government neglect.