The Power of Social Movements to Influence Government Action In Urban Water Crises: A Dual Case Study of Flint, MI and Newburgh, NY

As the problem of urban water pollution continues to grow, so does the need to ensure clean viable water sources that are irrefutably safe for public consumption. The growing need to regulate clean water creates a sense of urgency amongst marginalized low-income communities, with less power and therefore less of a fortifiable claim to the inalienable right of a citizen to clean, toxin free drinking water. Although the United States acknowledges its obligation to protect the wellbeing of the people under its leadership, there is a continual disregard for at-risk communities, unless they actively take a role in fighting for their rights through social mobilization and community action. Using the urban water crises taking place in Flint, MI and Newburgh, NY this senior project investigates how communities have used social movements as a way of engaging with one another and getting a response from government agencies