January Partner Highlight: We The People of Detroit
We kicked off the new year with big announcements in our January newsletter. Read our monthly Partner Highlight on We The People of Detroit below!
We The People of Detroit was co-founded in 2008 by Monica Lewis-Patrick, Chris Griffith, Aurora Harris, Cecily McClellan, and Debra Taylor in response to the Emergency Management of the City of Detroit and Detroit Public Schools. In 2014 the Detroit Water and Sewage Department initiated a mass water supply shut-off in the homes of city residents who had unpaid water bills. In the wake of this municipal neglect, as hundreds of thousands of Detroit residents were suddenly left without access to water and faced with rising costs of water bills, We the People of Detroit mobilized to meet the needs of their community.
Over the past ten years, WPD has grown to be a local, state, and national leader in water justice advocating for equitable access to clean safe, and affordable water. Locally, in Detroit, WPD designed and continues to lead a city-wide water rights campaign on behalf of the residents of Detroit, which has included setting up water supply stations, managing a water hotline, door-to-door canvassing, and water delivery to households; additionally, WPD has worked directly with the city water utility to improve policy to reflect the needs of the community. In Michigan, WPD has co-convened the WEL Coalition, a coalition of water advocates to fight for the strongest possible water affordability legislation for the state. Nationally, WPD works closely with partners across the country to advocate for permanent Low-Income Household Assistance Program (LIHWAP) funding, strengthen the Lead and Copper Rule, ensure communities are prioritized in public engagement efforts, and more.
We the People of Detroit supports its advocacy efforts through the WPD Community Research Collective (CRC) which brings together researchers, designers, and community experts aimed at increasing public knowledge and education around water disparities By compiling data on water access, the CRC visualized how economic austerity programs have disproportionately impacted Black and Brown neighborhoods. They are currently working on public health studies with regional healthcare providers and university researchers to demonstrate how the water crisis in Detroit has also created a public health crisis for the city’s residents.
Apart from its efforts in advocating for water-related causes, WPD actively supports the development of future generations of advocates in the fields of water, environment, and social justice through its We the Youth of Detroit program. The program has been expanded to a year-long initiative, featuring a summer intensive program that concludes at the annual Great Lakes People of Color Water & Policy Center Retreat. Throughout the program, participants learn about the Seven Pillars of Water, participate in intergenerational dialogue, and partake in water sports and activities.
We The People of Detroit centers equity and justice in their fight for the future of their city through grassroots advocacy, cutting-edge collaborative research and studies, and by training the next generation of Detroit leaders in youth leadership and internships.