Current Status of the Crisis
Various historical processes have contributed to the disinvestment of Jackson and its water system and it will likely take years before all the issues with the system are addressed. However, the fragility of the system means that residents are consistently at risk of not having reliable access to clean water and therefore long-term solutions need to be developed sooner rather than later. An understanding of environmental racism helps us see the underlying social and economic forces that contributed to the systems decline and to the disregard Jackson residents have faced over the years. It also suggests that any solution to the problem would need to grapple with this history and center the concerns and interests of Jackson residents.