 |
Friend, New York’s iconic Apollo Theater was aglitter the December night Waikinya Clanton, 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 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 is a Black-oriented online magazine founded in 2008 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). In solidarity, Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
|
|||
| |
|||
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
