“But that was the moment that she knew her voice had power, when the president responded to her.”įlint is one of the poorest cities in the country. “Mari has always been the type of kid that if she sees something wrong, she wants to do something about it,” Brezzell said. As he set her down, she placed her hands firmly on her hips, looked him in the eye, and said, “You know, I wrote to you!” Mirroring her pose, he responded, “I know! That’s why I decided to come.”Īlthough the federal government had limited authority in the water crisis, Obama authorized $100 million to help rebuild the pipes.
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When she saw the president, she ran to him at full speed, and he lifted her up. President Obama came to visit Flint in direct response to Mari’s letter.
“Mari answered, ‘I know, but it doesn’t hurt to try.’” He gets millions of letters every day,” explained her mom, Loui Brezzell. “I told Mari, you’re not going to hear anything back. She has become an outspoken activist, drawing attention to the plight of her community.Īt age 8, she wrote a letter to President Barack Obama to ask him to help with the Flint water crisis. “And they never did fix it so I said, ‘Welp, you have to listen to me because I’m a kid.’”Ĭopeny decided to take matters into her own hands, and started holding weekly water distribution events for thousands of Flint residents with limited access to clean water. “I wanted to speak up and say, ‘Hey, the water is bad … someone please fix it?’” Copeny said. The water corroded Flint water system pipes and exposed the residents to dangerous levels of lead.Īfter Flint’s water source was switched to the Flint River, nearly one hundred people became critically ill, and 12 people lost their lives after drinking the contaminated water. Although residents complained that the water was brown and smelled, authorities claimed it was safe. In 2014, the state of Michigan caused the water crisis in Flint when, to save money, they switched the city water supply from Detroit Water and Sewerage Department service to the Flint River. Never let anybody shut you up, and trust me they will try, because you’re young and a lot of adults don’t think you should have an opinion."īillionaire Elon Musk Pledges To Fund Solutions To Provide Clean Water In Flint, Michigan, Will Work With Lil' Miss FlintĪfter Flint Gives FU To Residents By Ending Bottled Water Program, 10-Year-Old Little Miss Flint Saves The Day, Again.For the past five years, Mari has been relentless in her determination to get clean water for all residents of Flint, Mich.Īmariyanna ‘Mari’ Copeny, better known as “Little Miss Flint,” rose to national fame for her advocacy work and became a voice for her community amid a devastating and ongoing water crisis in Flint, Mich., despite being only 11 years old. And once they hear you out, they will see that you have a unique view of the world and that your opinion matters. If they don’t want to listen to you at first, keep on talking, they will eventually have to hear you out.
"You're never too young or too small to change the world," Copeny told Mashable.
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She also hosts events for the children of Flint, including movie screenings of Black Panther and A Wrinkle In Time.Īnd she encourages other children to work for social justice. She has held several fundraisers and water drives to fix the issue. Mari Copeny October 1, 2018Ĭopeny’s activism centers around making sure the world does not forget about the Flint water crisis.
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