Water Justice & Community Power: Preventing Privatizaation and Edvance Equity
A Talk by Pomaj-Chakmam-Yajalaji , Gabriel Gray , Jo Anne Tippett , Brooke Christy , Anne Quinn and Bianca Barnett-Harris
About this Talk
Access to clean, affordable water is a basic human right — but in Pittsburgh and across the country, marginalized communities, particularly BIPOC and Aborigine American residents, face disproportionate harm from privatization, rising costs, and environmental injustice.
This session spotlights the work of the Environmental Justice Table (EJT), a community-led coalition mobilizing residents to resist water privatization, advocate for affordability, and shape policies rooted in equity and sustainability. Through an interactive panel and roundtable discussion, participants will learn how EJT has advanced a local voter referendum, helped establish a customer advisory council, and developed legislative tools to ensure long-term water justice.
Attendees will leave with practical strategies to organize grassroots campaigns, engage policymakers, and protect public resources — equipping them to replicate this model and build economic and environmental resilience in their own communities.