...After a nearly year-long battle, a federal judge finally approved a motion allowing two civil rights organizations to become parties to the legal proceedings with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Now, the Mississippi Poor People’s Campaign and the People’s Advocacy Group are officially named in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act case.

“This moment signifies a pivotal shift in the fight for clean water and the restoration of public oversight of Jackson’s decaying and dangerous water infrastructure,” stated Danyelle Holmes, a Poor People’s Campaign senior national social justice organizer. “Communities must have a say over the critical matters in our lives, and we are committed to ensuring the community is heard by any means necessary.”

Mikaila Hernandez, a Center for Constitutional Rights attorney said, “The intervention not only grants these organizations access to directly participate in the lawsuit as parties, it also sets a precedent for community involvement in the governance of essential public services…It represents a step toward rectifying decades of underinvestment and neglect in Jackson’s water system.” ...

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