Friend,

New York's iconic Apollo Theater was aglitter the December
night Waikinya Clanton

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, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Mississippi
state office, took the stage. Named one of 100 most influential Black
Americans of 2022 by the prestigious online magazine The Root,
Clanton seemed comfortable in the spotlight of an awards ceremony that
included celebrities, politicians and media stars.

But the glamour was deceiving. On just about any other day back in
Mississippi, Clanton is more likely to be found far from the
limelight, doing the work.

Since Clanton left a high-powered position with the Democratic
National Committee in Washington, D.C., in 2021 to return to the state
her family has called home for four generations, the work has been
particularly urgent and hard. In August, the state's
majority-Black capital city of Jackson was hit by a catastrophic
crisis

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 when its largest water treatment plant failed, leaving thousands
of residents, businesses, schools and hospitals without safe drinking
water.

Under Clanton's leadership, the SPLC collected more than $45,000
in direct contributions to address the water crisis and used it to
distribute water, testing kits and filters to local schools and
communities. The SPLC also allocated $10,000 to bolster the efforts of
the Mississippi Rapid Response Coalition, comprising more than 30
grassroots community organizations. The SPLC also deployed organizers
to support the work of the coalition throughout the Jackson area.

Together, they delivered thousands of pallets of water, hand sanitizer
and disinfectant wipes directly to communities in need. Working
together with the city, coalition partners delivered water and other
supplies to elderly and disabled residents who were unable to get to
water distribution sites. They rented hauling vehicles and enlisted
the help of volunteers who owned trucks. And when coalition members
realized that some public drinking fountains had not been turned off,
they petitioned the city to do so to prevent children from unknowingly
drinking harmful water.

"Having her at the helm of the Mississippi office while going
through what I would call the pressure point of the Jackson water
crisis was incredibly helpful," said Charles Taylor, executive
director of the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP. "She
has been an intimate partner with the Mississippi Rapid Response
Coalition, a trusted voice in our community. She is someone who puts
people first."

The Root
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 is a Black-oriented online magazine founded in 2008
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 by Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and
former Washington Post publisher Donald Graham (Graham sold
his interest in the magazine in 2015). The Root prides
itself on "Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta
Attitude," according to its website.

Its list of the 100 most influential Black Americans, now in its
13th year, includes the likes this year of Michelle Obama (1),
Serena Williams (2), and Vice President Kamala Harris (9).

READ MORE

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In solidarity,

Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center

 


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