Since officials first noticed dangerous levels of lead in the water of Benton Harbor in 2018, they have distributed notices and filters to try to improve the situation. Now, after three years of tests showing significant exceedances over the 15 parts-per-billion level that necessitates further intervention, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has recommended residents use bottled water for cooking, drinking, and brushing teeth. Regarding the danger posed by lead, the CDC states they have not identified a safe level of lead in children’s blood that does not cause adverse effects on neurodevelopment. Additionally, adults with significant exposure are at higher risk for neuropathy, decreased immune function, renal failure, cancer, and infertility.
The problem in this case is not the source of the water (Lake Michigan), rather, it is the pipes that carry the water. As a result, Benton Harbor is seeking to replace all of its lead pipes within the next 18 months, which is estimated to cost around $30 million. Justifiably, the lack of an immediate response has caused some to wonder whether the situation would have been handled more quickly if it had occurred across the river in St. Joseph.
Benton Harbor is home to nearly 9,700 people, 85% of whom are Black, and the median household income is $21,916 with a 45% poverty rate. In contrast, St. Joseph is home to 8,317 people, 84% of whom are White, and the median household income is $62,374 with a 7% poverty rate. For the Benton Harbor mayor, Marcus Muhammad, a reason why the city hasn’t been able to fix the lead pipes has been the city’s inability to pay to replace them while it has been suffering from an ever-decreasing tax base. “This is a $30 million job; where does Benton Harbor get $30 million out of thin air?” Muhammad asked. Unfortunately, the economic distress in Benton Harbor has been building for decades.
Since the 1960s, Benton Harbor’s population has halved as White people fled once Black individuals moved from the South during the Great migration. In addition, the city suffered the loss of its hospital, newspaper, YMCA, and various manufacturing plants and businesses to whiter and wealthier areas, like neighboring St. Joseph. Benton Harbor Area schools have been underfunded, inadequate, and have faced incredible rates of teacher turnover. The city has faced a hostile state government that has preferred to promote school choice and the ability to attend other schools rather than fix the city’s own educational institutions.
Additionally, Whirlpool, the appliance manufacturer and largest employer in the area, has one Black man on its 12-member executive committee and one Black man on its 13-person Board of Directors, in a city that is 85% Black. The city also currently isn’t taking in property taxes from Whirlpool. The city won’t receive property taxes until 2024 in exchange for the building of two new facilities in Benton Harbor and a $3.8 million donation towards city services that was rerouted by the city’s emergency manager to police pension funds.
The city was placed under emergency management and control by the state from 2010 to 2014 due to budget deficits. Under the former emergency manager, the current mayor Muhammad states the city’s water operation suffered a large hit that directly contributed to the problems that exist today. The former emergency manager attempted to sell the city’s water plant and then fired more than half the plant’s staff when he wasn’t able to do that, notes the mayor.
According to the Mayor, “Benton Harbor has suffered from disinvestment, abandonment, environmental racism, systemic racism, and there are a lot of other challenges and difficulties that residents in the city of Benton Harbor have experienced and are experiencing today.”
So, what can you do to help? On the AU changehub website there are multiple opportunities to assist with water distribution. Additionally, the Greater Youth Movement (which is also on the website) is working to empower at-risk youth and break the cycles of generational poverty that have in part led to the current crisis. Here at Andrews we have challenged ourselves to be world changers, and today the world in need is right next door.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.