Water Protectors Rising Series – Panel #1

📸: Brittany Greeson + Sierra Club HI + Marie Hobro + Matt Hardy/Pexels

The fight for clean water is a struggle that many communities can relate to. This basic human right and sacred, essential life source has become inaccessible to communities across the globe.

Sadly, this fight has now reached the shores of Hawaiʻi. The primary water supply for  Oʻahu remains under an existential and unprecedented threat due to the U.S. Navy Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. Within this facility, over 100 million gallons of fuel sit a mere 100 feet above Oʻahu’s main aquifer. Over the years, the aging tanks have leaked 180,000 gallons of fuel and petroleum chemicals into Oʻahu’s natural resources. In November 2021, an estimated 19,000 gallons of jet fuel leaked from the aging tanks –– poisoning nearly 100,000 people with contaminated water. 

While the Pentagon has conceded that this facility must be shut down, the Navy’s contractors have indicated that it may take up to two years or more to remove the fuel due to the facility’s dilapidated state.

However, we believe that there is power in numbers. In partnership with Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action, we are thrilled to announce Water Protectors Rising, a two-part virtual panel series exploring the interconnected fight of water protectors everywhere.

From Red Hill to Flint to Vieques, we know what our communities need to keep us safe. Join us as we learn from organizers, advocates, and experts as they share their experiences, victories, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. By linking arms with these communities and sharing knowledge with one another, we aim to build a stronger, more unified water justice movement.  

Panel #1

Lessons from the Fight for Water Justice: From Camp Lejeune to Red Hill

WATCH THE PANEL:

📆  Friday, June 17, 2022

12 PM–1:30 PM (HST)

3 PM-4:30 PM (PT)

5 PM-6:30 PM (CT)

6 PM-7:30 PM (ET)

1 PM-2:30 PM (AKDT)

🗣 Water contamination issues have been largely rooted in government failures across the globe. Listen to water protectors hailing from Red Hill, Camp Lejeune, Alaska, and Flint as they share the grassroots-driven approach their communities have taken to protect their water.

👥 Meet the Panelists:

 Jerry Ensminger (Camp Lejeune)

Jerry Ensminger formerly served in the United States Marine Corps for more than 24 years. Mr. Ensminger and his family lived on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, and was personally impacted by the water crisis there that had harmed military service members and their families for decades. Mr. Ensminger has been a significant and outspoken advocate for clean drinking water, testifying numerous times in front of the United States Congress regarding the need for effective oversight over the contamination of water resources, as well as the need for improved treatment of the victims of these water crises. He continues to be an outspoken champion of clean water rights for all, highlighting the military’s lack of care, competence, and empathy when dealing with these tragic health incidents. Overall, Mr. Ensminger has been a notable advocate for the health, safety, and wellbeing of veterans, their families, and the community at large. 

Mike Partain (Camp Lejeune)

Mr. Partain was born into a military family; his father graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served as an officer in the Marines. He was born in 1968 on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Despite not smoking or drinking, and living a healthy lifestyle, he was eventually diagnosed with breast cancer – a likely result of the contaminated water in Camp Lejeune.  Since his diagnosis, Mr. Partain has been an advocate for the victims of the water contamination crisis, working with other effected individuals to testify in front of Congress to bring light to the military’s negligence. He has worked directly with victims to provide them resources and treatment, especially those who later developed breast cancer due to their exposure to contaminated water.

Ariana Hawk (Flint)

Ariana Hawk is a former resident of Flint, Michigan, where she and her family saw the true damage of the Flint water crisis. Her son, Sincere, was on the cover of TIME magazine, which depicted his skin conditions as a visible demonstration of the physical and emotional toll that the government’s negligence had had on innocent victims. Since then, she has been an active voice in the community, testifying at numerous hearings and participating in various interviews, court proceedings, and community outreach programs to highlight the sheer magnitude of the crisis, and advocating for the right to clean water.  She has also become more involved with the political process, working for “Color of Change”, an organization that fights for racial justice and advocates for more people of color to vote across the nation. 

Pamela Miller (ACAT)

Pamela Miller is the founder of Alaska Community Action on Toxins, or ACAT, which is an organization that promotes environmental justice and the need to regulate the production and use of dangerous chemicals and toxins that end up in our water systems. She has served her community in Alaska, and the nation as a whole, through her extensive research on toxic chemicals such as the dangerous pesticide lindane and various Persistent Organic Pollutants.  She has worked with numerous national and international entities regarding toxins, including the United Nations and the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation. Overall, Pamela is an expert in the field of toxin research and water pollutants, and her organization, ACAT, has been a leading advocate for clean water and environmental justice in her home state.

Jamie Williams (Red Hill)

Jamie Williams is a Coast Guard spouse residing in Army housing at Kapūkaki, also known as Red Hill. During the Summer of 2021, Jamie began experiencing medical symptoms ranging from headaches to cognitive dysfunction; now believed to be associated with ingestion of contaminated water. Due to the military’s inadequate management of the Red Hill Fuel Facility, she has lost two beloved dogs, was displaced from her home for several months and has had to pause her pursuit of a law degree. Since the incident, she has been an outspoken advocate for military transparency and environmental justice, participating in numerous interviews and hearings, and organizing with groups such as Shut Down Red Hill Mutual Aid to help other affected individuals and families navigate the ongoing water crisis. 

Aedyn-Rhys King is pictured on the left, next to his partner, Mandy

Aedyn-Rhys King (Red Hill)
Aedyn-Rhys King (he/him) is a disabled Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) veteran and former ʻEwa Beach resident. Despite living in a local neighborhood nearly 20 miles away from Kapūkaki (Red Hill), the King family was directly impacted by the 2021 Red Hill fuel leak. The leak exposed nearly 100,000 people –– primarily families on Aliamanu Military Reservation –– to contaminated water. As a result, Aedyn, his family, and thousands of others reported adverse health effects. The fuel-tainted water also made many homes inhabitable, forcing many into displacement. While those living on base received relocation support from the military, local communities like Aedyn’s were left behind by the government agency and local property management companies. 

Aedyn has since become an outspoken advocate for affected local communities and military transparency. He is a part of the Shutdown Red Hill Mutual Aid Collective, a group that organizes supply distributions for impacted families.