Following Crisis in Jackson, United Women in Faith Urges More Focused and Sustained Action to Invest in Communities of Color, Transition to Green Economy

For Immediate Release

NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2022 – United Women in Faith today weighed in on the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi. The organization’s executive for economic and environmental justice, Ilka Vega, issued the following statement:

“As women of faith, we have a moral imperative to mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice. Today, we are mourning. We are mourning with our neighbors and loved ones in Jackson, Mississippi who are still recovering from the water crisis. We are mourning with those whose hopes have been dashed and whose lives, in an instance, have been changed. Nowhere, but specifically in a developed country like ours, should people be forced to suffer with dirty water or flooding that makes their homes and communities uninhabitable.

“To be clear, the humanitarian crisis we are seeing in Jackson is a direct result of systemic under-investment in communities of color and inaction on the climate crisis. We know that because of environmental racism, communities of color who are least responsible for the climate crisis suffer the most because of it. We also know that given the climate crisis, natural disasters will occur with increasing frequency and they will become deadlier. When this is coupled with decades’ long under-investment – which we typically see in communities of color – the results are disastrous. The challenge for us in this moment is to continue our calls for a just transition to renewable energy and to offer tangible support to persons in immediate danger. We must also continue to urge our elected officials to act.”

“While this administration has taken strides to address the climate crisis, more substantive and focused action is needed. And we must start with the communities who are burdened the most by systemic inequalities and the climate crisis. These communities must be prioritized not only in the rebuilding process but also in the transition to a green and just new economy and green and just new jobs.

“We are urging all United Women in Faith members to financially support relief efforts, including by giving to the organization’s local National Mission Institution, Bethlehem Center. They can click here and write the National Mission Institution’s name in the comment section.”

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Contact: Yvette Moore, Director of PR and Marketing, United Women in Faith, ymoore@uwfaith.org