NAACP says Jackson’s water problems are civil rights issue

By MICHAEL PHILLIS and EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The NAACP on Tuesday accused Mississippi of discriminating against Black residents by denying badly needed federal funds for drinking water infrastructure in Jackson and instead diverting money to largely-white communities that needed it less. The group is asking the EPA to investigate the state’s alleged history of civil rights violations. The complaint was filed under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that forbids entities that receive federal funds from discriminating based on race or national origin. The Biden administration has said it will aggressively go after environmental discrimination and has opened several Title VI investigations. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, has blamed Jackson’s water problems on mismanagement by city leaders.