Defending the Human Right to Water: Grassroots Activist Methods in Detroit’s Fight for Livability, Dignity, and Recognition

Abstract

This thesis makes the connection between international human rights mechanisms and local activism in Detroit upholding those rights, particularly the human right to water. It asks how are human rights upheld on a local level, and what methods do activists in Detroit use to uphold the human right to water? This paper argues that the human right to water is upheld in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (1997), General Comment No. 15 issued by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (2002), and the Joint Press Statement issued by the Special Rapporteurs for Housing and Water (2014). Activists uphold the rights defined in these declarations through calling on international organizations, doing community-engaged research, expressing grievances in domestic court, and using direct action through protest and water distribution in response to water shutoffs in Detroit. Using community-engaged research methods including interviews with half a dozen activists and participant observation, this thesis aims to be of benefit to activists and community members to better understand what systems led to the water shutoffs and how one can effectively combat them in Detroit and beyond.