The clean water crisis has focused on Flint, Michigan, but access to clean drinking water is both a national problem and a Louisiana one. 
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 40 percent of children in Claiborne Parish, 28.6 percent of children in Caddo Parish, 20 percent of children in Ouachita Parish and 14.3 percent of children in Jefferson Parish tested positive for lead poisoning in 2014. 
These four parishes reported higher rates of lead poisoning to the federal government than Flint, which has a child lead poisoning rate of 4 percent.
According to Vox.com, children exposed to lead at any level can develop “permanent learning disabilities, lower IQs, and even ADHD.” Children living at or below the poverty line are at the most risk for lead poisoning because they live in older housing, according to the CDC. 
Louisiana’s poverty rates and poor housing make residents more susceptible to unsafe drinking water than almost anywhere else in the country. U.S. Census Bureau data from 2014 ranks Louisiana 49th in the nation for the lowest poverty rates, hovering around 19.1 percent compared to the national rate of 15.4 percent. 
Because of socioeconomic factors, black children are at a greater risk for lead poisoning than white communities. A 2013 study from the CDC illustrates this disparity, with black children twice as likely to be exposed to lead in their water compared to white children. 
Many areas with high rates of lead poisoning in Louisiana have high populations of black residents. According to Census data, the percentage of black residents in Claiborne Parish is at 50.9 percent, 48.2 percent in Caddo Parish, 37.3 percent in Ouachita Parish and 27.2 percent in Jefferson Parish. 
This disparity clearly shows Louisiana’s environmental racism. The New York Times defined environmental racism as “the disproportionate share of blacks to polluted air, water and soil.” 
Environmental racism is part of a legacy of segregation and poverty. Wealthy communities have the resources to prevent a factory from moving to their neighborhood, while poor residents don’t have money to hire an army of lobbyists to prevent pollution in their own backyards. 
St. Joseph, located in Tensas Parish, also experienced water problems recently. The Monroe News Star reports residents saw their water change color in recent days “from pale yellow to murky brown.” 
Fifty-four percent of residents in Tensas Parish are black, and 34.3 percent of
residents live in poverty, according to Census data. 
Politicians would have given this story national attention, cleaned the water, replaced the pipes and held a press conference congratulating themselves if this were happening to kids living in Uptown New Orleans or St. George. But since this is happening to poor black children, not a peep. 
According to a 2015 Allianz Global Wealth Report, the United States is the wealthiest country in the world. It is a disgrace we can’t provide basic services like clean water to many of our citizens.
We can’t turn a blind eye to residents who have poor drinking water or are exposed to higher levels of pollutants in their neighborhoods. If Louisiana wants to solve this problem, it must acknowledge the crisis first. 
Louisiana communities deserve clean air and safe water regardless of their zip code, race or income level. No community should bear the brunt of a poor environment because of who they are or where they are from. 
Since the poor don’t have lobbyists, Louisiana should include and prioritize residents who suffer from health disparities because of their environment to solve this problem. 
Until then, Louisiana will limit children’s dreams to their neighborhood and environment. 
Michael Beyer is a 22-year-old political science senior from New Orleans, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @michbeyer.