Mari Copeny

February 11, 2020

Some of you are probably familiar with the Flint water crisis that is happening in Flint, Michigan and has been going on since 2014. It is a public health crisis that started after the drinking water source for the city was changed. Even six years after the crisis started, it’s still not over. Flint residents said the water tasted like metal, had a weird smell, and seemed to give them skin rashes https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/us/flint-water-crisis.html.

Mari Copeny, known as “Little Miss Flint”, is a thirteen-year-old activist fighting for the children of Flint. The water crisis started when she was eight years old. All of the water she and her family used had to come from plastic bottles. She decided to write a letter to President Obama to convince him to come to Flint, Michigan and take a closer look at the condition of the water. After getting the attention of the president, people around the world were becoming more aware of the Flint water crisis.

Since 2016, Copeny raised over $500,000 in hopes to resolve the crisis. These funds have gone toward supporting students in getting school supplies and other resources to ensure that the kids of Flint are living a fulfilled and healthy life. When Michigan decided to stop paying for bottled water, Mari started a campaign to raise more money. Her bottled water campaign raised over $280,000 and was able to distribute a million bottles of water to citizens of Flint.

Mari Copeny is just one black youth of today. In honor of black history month, I believe we should shed more light on black youth. And because of her efforts to help her hometown, Mari Copeny is a perfect example of black excellence.