Day 1: Palm Sunday - Marching for Justice: When Hope Meets the Roadblocks of White Supremacy

True liberation depends on the courage of Christians to reject the alignment of faith with MAGA politics. The question remains: how does your faith leader respond to this call for justice?

Theme: Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was met with hope for deliverance. Similarly, communities like Lowndes County hope for liberation from environmental neglect.

Focus: Introduce the sanitation crisis as a modern ‘entry into Jerusalem’ - a call for attention and hope for change. Highlight the voices of those affected, echoing the crowds who welcomed Jesus.

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Wrapped in his relentless, self-serving style of leadership, on January 20, 2025, Trump issued an executive order under the banner of “people over fish.” Anything that challenges his agenda is swiftly branded as radical. Nearly two months later, Trump has once again set his sights on undermining the core values of American decency.

Yesterday marked Palm Sunday, a day when Christians worldwide pause to remember Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Crowds gathered to welcome Jesus, inspired by stories of his deeds and longing for change. At that time, the people—living under Roman rule—were desperate for hope, believing that God would send a savior.

In much the same way, the residents of Lowndes County found hope in the advocacy and work of Catherine Coleman Flowers.

Catherine Coleman Flowers was born in Birmingham to parents deeply involved in the Civil Rights movement, and her family later relocated to Lowndes County. If you haven’t watched it yet, the documentary Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power explores the county’s turbulent history—a place so fraught with violence that even Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. hesitated before leading protests there. The film highlights the pivotal role the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) played in empowering the community and shaping the broader struggle for Black political power.

As I watched the documentary, I noticed Flowers among those interviewed, underscoring her lifelong connection to civil rights activism. Activism is in her DNA. Flowers credits her mother for helping many people receive Social Security benefits today—because her mother assisted them in registering to vote, which in turn ensured they paid taxes. This directly challenges the stereotype that Black Americans are unwilling to contribute their “fair share.” Much of this progress was achieved through grassroots organizing, often in partnership with Black churches. Through faith and collective action, Black Americans found hope in a nation that, as Barbara Jordan once said, “somehow they forgot the ‘We the people’ should include me.” (paraphrased)

In her book Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret, Catherine Coleman Flowers weaves together memoir and investigative reporting to expose the ongoing wastewater crisis in Lowndes County, Alabama—a crisis rooted in systemic neglect and environmental injustice. Flowers, a MacArthur “genius” grant recipient, has spent decades advocating for basic sanitation as a human right, drawing national attention to the raw sewage that still plagues many rural, majority-Black communities.

Her relentless efforts paid off when, under the Biden administration, she helped secure federal funding to address these long-standing issues, ensuring that the American citizens of Lowndes County would finally see progress on wastewater management. The 2023 settlement agreement, the first of its kind to use federal civil rights law to tackle environmental injustice, suspended punitive sanitation laws and launched a program to install new septic systems for those most at risk.

Overview of Water Sanitation Issues in the USA

Water sanitation challenges in the United States are more widespread and complex than often assumed, affecting millions of people across both urban and rural areas. These issues stem from aging infrastructure, environmental contamination, social inequities, and inadequate investment in water systems.

Key Statistics

• Lack of Access: An estimated 2.2 million Americans live in homes without running water or basic plumbing. More than 2 million lack access to clean drinking water at home, and over 1 million do not have basic plumbing.

• Urban and Rural Disparities: At least 930,000 people in US cities lack sustained access to basic sanitation, and 610,000 lack basic water access. Rural areas, especially in regions like Appalachia, the Navajo Nation, and the US-Mexico border, face even higher rates of incomplete plumbing and water hardship.

• Infrastructure Failures: Tens of millions more Americans are affected by failing septic systems and inadequate wastewater treatment, leading to unsafe disposal of human waste and untreated sewage entering the environment.

• Water Quality Violations: Over 1,165 community water systems are classified as "Serious Violators" under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and 9,457 facilities are in "Significant Noncompliance" with the Clean Water Act in 39 states and territories. More than 81 million Americans live in counties where over 1% of water systems are significant violators.

Major Causes

• Aging Infrastructure: Much of the US water infrastructure is decades old, leading to frequent leaks, pipe breaks, and system failures. The EPA estimates US households lose a trillion gallons of water per year due to leaks.

• Environmental Contamination: Contaminants such as PFAS ("forever chemicals"), lead, and agricultural runoff threaten water safety. Recent EPA regulations target PFAS, which have been linked to cancer and other health risks.

• Social and Regional Inequities: Water hardship is not evenly distributed. Black, Latino, Indigenous, low-income, and rural communities are disproportionately affected by poor water and sanitation systems. For example, over 15% of the Navajo Nation lacks piped water.

• Climate and Drought: Droughts, especially in the West, further strain water supplies and infrastructure.

Notable Incidents

• Jackson, Mississippi (2022): A water treatment facility failure left 150,000 residents without drinkable water for weeks.

• Combined Sewer Overflows: The EPA estimates 850 billion gallons of untreated wastewater and stormwater are released annually due to combined sewer overflows, especially in older cities.

TRUMPS RESPONSE:

However, just two weeks after TIME magazine highlighted Flowers’ fight for environmental justice as a fundamental human right, the Trump administration abruptly moved to terminate the settlement. Citing a new executive order banning “DEI and environmental justice” initiatives, federal officials ended the agreement, dismissing it as an “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy”. This decision has drawn sharp criticism from advocates and lawmakers, who argue that the move disregards the health and dignity of Lowndes County residents and undermines years of progress toward equitable infrastructure. No longer will there be federal investment upheld through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, community initiatives or regulatory action.

True liberation depends on the courage of Christians to reject the alignment of faith with MAGA politics. The question remains: how does your faith leader respond to this call for justice and stewardship?

Next Up:

Confronting Injustice: Tearing Down the Temples of Oppression - Exposing America’s Dirty Secret

Theme: Jesus cleanses the temple, challenging corruption and exploitation

Focus: Examine how systemic neglect and policy failures have exploited and harmed Black and Brown communities. Drawing on Flowers’ activism as a modern cleansing - exposing and challenging the systems that perpetuate environmental injustice.