As you may know, the residents of Flint, Michigan have been experiencing a huge water crisis for the past six years. The city made a decision to switch the source of its water supply from the treated water system in Detroit to the Flint River in an effort to save money. Concerns were raised when many residents, children especially, began to experience a variety of health issues. These health problems were a result of lead from the untreated, contaminated water. The city of Flint is still in the process of replacing the old pipes that were contaminating the water with lead. Many people and organizations have shown efforts to raise money or donate water bottles to aide the residents. One thirteen-year-old girl in particular, Amariyanna Copeny, gained her reputation as "Little Miss Flint" through her advocacy work.
Mari Copeny wrote a letter to President Barack Obama when she was only 8 years old, asking him to visit Flint, which he did and then led him to declare a state of emergency. Her letter was published by the Los Angeles Times and drew attention around the nation to the crisis. She became a Youth Ambassador for the Women's March on Washington Youth, as well as the National Climate March. Copeny has been avid about activism throughout her life, including her involvement in the Trinity St. Peter's anti-bullying group and the Boys and Girls club.
She began her movement to provide aide amidst the crisis by holding weekly events where water was distributed to residents who lacked accessibility to clean water. She focuses mainly on helping the children in Flint. She has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Flint Kids project, in addition to school supplies, toys, and over a million bottles of water. She started the "Dear Flint Kids" project, in which people are encouraged to send letters to the children in Flint to show love and support and has amassed thousands of letters for the children. I think Copeny is a Big-C creative, because even though activism is not a new thing, her way of going about and addressing issues is. She endured the comments saying she could never make any real difference as a child, and went on to become the extraordinary young leader she is today. She has set a huge example for young Black girls in America, showing that although often their voices are stifled in this country, they still have a voice and can be heard.
Copeny fights for her sister, who experienced the effects of lead poisoning, other children who did not comprehend the issue as well as herself, and adults who were tasked with teaching their children that they lacked clean water. Despite many not believing in Copeny's spirit because of her young age, she kept fighting until she was heard. She decided that people "had to listen to [her] because [she's] a kid". Politicians listen to her because of her persistence and brutal honesty that arises from her young age. She fights against governmental negligence that stems from a place of systemic racism. Once people began to listen to her, she used her widely growing platform to speak on behalf of those who couldn't. She still continues to fight the good fight and is still being recognized for her advocacy and activism.
Sources:
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/miss-flint-making-difference-community-years-water-crisis-62543899
https://www.maricopeny.com/about
https://www.dosomething.org/us/articles/mari-copeny-just-be-cause-qa
A queen! I remember hearing about Amariyanna on the news when the Flint water crisis was mainstream media "worthy" and being so impressed by her ability to make a difference. Not only did she catch the attention of the president, but she caught the attention of the nation for the sake of her community. It's interesting to note that her motivation to do this was both extrinsic and intrinsic. Amariyanna is extrinsically motivated by the unsafe water to make a change. She also feels an intrinsic compassion for her family, friends, and town, and wants to help them in a troubling time. These two motives propelled Amariyanna to put herself in the way of media coverage, which furthermore increased awareness about Flint's water crisis, led to more donations being sent to Flint, and improved the chances of resolving the crisis in general. Hopefully we can all take note from her ion the future and not confine ourselves to the expectations for our age, gender, or other non factor.
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