Yesterday, the Clean Water Campaign for Michigan released a video featuring Antwaun Stanley, the jaw-dropping vocalist and frequent Vulfpeck collaborator. During the emotional four-minute video, Stanley, who was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, shares his thoughts on the city’s water crisis, which began in 2014 after over 100,000 Flint residents were potentially exposed to toxic amounts of lead in the drinking water due to government negligence. The water crisis eventually led to the declaration of a federal state of emergency in January of 2016, and residents are still instructed to continue to use bottled or filtered water until as early as 2020.

During the video, Stanley highlights the beauty of his hometown, explaining, “Flint is a beautiful place filled with people who have a high regard for life and high regard for helping others be the best that they can be. Flint is home for me. Flint will always be home, so no matter where I go, that’s where the needle drops.” After speaking briefly on his history as a musician (for his work with Vulfpeck, he notes, “There’s just this effervescent feeling of just joy and a capacity to just let it flow.”), he speaks in-depth about the water crisis and the role of government, at points tearing up as he discusses the heartwrenching topic:

The bare essentials as humans: we need food, we need shelter, and we need safe water. Those are basic rights that I think we’re all entitled to. … It’s sometimes difficult to know where to start when people ask you about it because you know that what happened has happened, and you have to move on. How do you move on? You don’t really know. When you think about it, you’re furious. You’re angered that the ball was dropped by people who you depend on to make these very important decisions. You think about greed, when saving money takes priority over just humanity.

However, toward the end of the video, Stanley begins to speak about the future, imploring viewers to vote and make their voices heard:

We want, as a people, a government that is definitely transparent, functioning and operating on the people’s behalf. It’s important and you get out there and you make your voice heard by your vote—you gotta vote. If we want to see change and we want to see a better community on the local level, the state level, any level, we all have to come together. … If we don’t move as a people collectively so that our leaders can move on our behalf, where really have we gone?

You can watch the video, which was presented by Clean Water Campaign for Michigan, below. The video is the first in a series of interview features produced by the non-profit whose goal is to use storytelling and music to “place clean water issues front and center in the year building up to the 2018 elections by urging every candidate running for public office to make a strong stand on critical issues affecting Michigan’s waters.” Those inspired by the video can head to the Clean Water Campaign for Michigan’s GoFundMe to donate.

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