Local officials across the United States have power and authority over both our water quality and access. As a result, issues related to water are on the ballot in many local elections. Currently, Black communities across the country are not being well served by water utilities, including local infrastructure and billing policies. The guests on this episode will walk listeners through the water justice crisis as it relates to Black people’s health and wealth. They will also encourage listeners to hold their locally elected leaders accountable for delivering safe and affordable water to all.
Senior Researcher and Statistician, Thurgood Marshall Institute
Assistant Policy Counsel, Legal Defense Fund (LDF)
Public Water for All Campaign Director, Food & Water Watch
Executive Director and Founder, The Stop Oppressive Seizures (SOS) Fund
A monthly discount program for water and sewer costs that is calculated based on a percentage of Baltimore City residents’ income.
Interest-free payment plans for water customers in Baltimore City
LDF has worked for decades to ensure that Black communities have access to clean water services where they live.
In 1967, LDF filed a lawsuit, Hawkins v. Town of Shaw. At the time of the case, Shaw, Mississippi “was completely segregated with a white side, which had comfortable municipal amenities . . . and a Black side, which lacked water mains, fire hydrants, and sanitary sewers.” Hawkins v. Town of Shaw was the first-ever lawsuit to challenge a municipality’s discriminatory provision of public services under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and it did so successfully. Following the case, local officials in Shaw expanded access to public services. By 2004, every home in Shaw had equal access to the water system.
Published in 2019, LDF’s groundbreaking report, Water/Color: A Study of Race and the Water Affordability Crisis in America’s Cities, details the long history of discrimination in municipal water services and the devastating impact that discrimination has had on low-income Black communities.
That same year, LDF filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio against the City of Cleveland on behalf of area residents. Those residents claimed that they were unfairly impacted by discriminatory local practices for people who had unpaid water debt.
The Thurgood Marshall Institute published a brief in 2023 called “Water/Color 2023: An Update on Water Crises Facing Black Communities.” The brief provided an overview of the factors that drive racial inequity in water access, highlighted examples of recent and ongoing water and wastewater crises in both urban and rural Black communities across the U.S., and reviewed strategies to address water unaffordability.
In February 2025, elected officials in Georgia passed sweeping legislation to address water affordability issues and to implement stronger protections against water shutoffs in DeKalb County. Those efforts were the result of years of advocacy by LDF and local organizations, including DeKalb Water Watch, South River Watershed Alliance, American Friends Service Committee, and New Disabled South. The new legislation will increase access to water and sewage services for low-income residents of DeKalb County. It caps water bills at a maximum of three percent of residents’ monthly income, creates a discount program to make water bills more affordable, strengthens shutoff protections to ensure that people don’t unjustly lose access to essential services, and establishes an independent advocacy office that will assist residents in disputing incorrect bills.
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