Lead pipe removal takes center stage at DNC • Wisconsin Examiner
Parents in Milwaukee’s poorest neighborhoods continue to worry about the threat of lead poisoning and the risks it poses to their children. For decades, predominantly black and brown residents in one of the nation’s most segregated cities lived in their homes and drank water heavily contaminated with lead. Parents from Wisconsin’s largest city had the opportunity to tell their story to a national audience during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago.
“Lead was everywhere, in our pipes, in our paint, in our soil,” said Deanna Branch, whose nearly 12-year-old son, Aiden, has struggled with the effects of lead poisoning since he was 2. In his early years, Aiden was hospitalized twice because of high levels of lead in his blood.
Even at low concentrations of lead, damage to brain development in children has been demonstrated and is associated with learning difficulties, and violenceLead pipes remain widespread in Milwaukee’s black and brown neighborhoods, which have historically experienced disinvestment and neglect due to decades-old practices such as redlining.
On the DNC stage, Branch, introduced by Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, praised the bipartisan infrastructure bill of 2021, passed under the Biden-Harris administration, which sped up the process of removing lead pipes in Milwaukee. Branch said the lead level measured in her son’s blood was “50 at the most.” Today, Branch said WPR“It has dropped to 6.8 and he is doing well.” Aiden has also illustrated a book about his experiences, “Aiden: The Lead-Free Superhero.” Branch also proudly reported that her one-year-old daughter was born lead-free.
Branch was joined onstage by Rashawn Spivey, a Milwaukee resident and owner of Hero Plumbing. Spivey attributes the more than 1,000 lead pipes his company has removed to legislation passed under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The removal of lead pipes is a controversial issue in Wisconsin’s Republican-dominated legislature. In 2019, the legislature rejected a proposal by Governor Tony Evers to allocate $40 million to replace lead pipes. Republicans complained that too much money would flow to Milwaukee.
Thanks to federal emergency assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, Milwaukee was given a new opportunity to address its lead poisoning problems. Beginning of 2023Branch and other Milwaukee residents gathered at public hearings to implore local officials to spend some of the remaining $92.7 million in federal funds to remove lead pipes from the community.
Replacing lead pipes in Milwaukee’s most vulnerable communities required not just money, but commitment. “I know the timeline has shortened significantly thanks to our efforts,” Branch told WPR during the DNC. “Originally it was a 40-year plan, I think now it’s down to 10 or 9 years. I’m just glad that progress is being made, and I’ll be alive to witness that progress.”
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