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On May 29th-30th, Kairos was invited to attend an International Social Movement Gathering on Affordable Water and Housing held in Detroit, Michigan hosted by the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization (MWRO) and the Detroit People’s Water Board.

There were leaders from all over the country and world who gathered to share experiences, analysis and lessons from local, national and international struggles for the right to water and housing. The delegation from the Kairos Center included: Willie Baptist and Liz Theoharis from New York, Rev. Erica Williams from Washington DC and Jason Shenk from People’s History of Elkhart, Indiana.

We (re)connected with many partners and leaders from around the country and world including global and national networks like ESCR-Net, the International Alliance of Inhabitants, the Social Welfare Action Alliance, the Council of Canadians and local grassroots organizations from Oakland, California, Portland, Oregon, Boston, Massachusetts, Rochester, New York, Cleveland, Ohio, Knoxville, Tennessee, Chicago, Illinois, Charleston, West Virginia, Atlanta, Georgia, and many more.

Participants shared powerful stories about the poisoning of their water in Flint, Michigan (wateryoufightingfor.com) and across communities in Appalachia, especially West Virginia (ohvec.org) and the solidarity communities are developing in the fight to ensure the right to water and housing. The gathering included a day-long summit on the legal and legislative actions currently underway in the fight for water and housing, workshops and presentations on local struggles, a community reality tour of Detroit, a water ceremony led by leaders from the First Nations, and a film festival on the plight, fight and insight of those most impacted by contaminated water and water shutoffs, evictions, and homelessness.

We are excited to keep fighting alongside our sisters and brothers across the world who are asserting that it is our right to thrive not merely survive. Please add your name to a petition fighting water shutoffs in Detroit: https://www.change.org/p/president-barack-obama-michigan-governor-rick-synder-and-detroit-mayor-mike-duggan-don-t-deny-detroit-families-the-human-right-to-water