Illustration of Mari Copeny. Created by Sofía Savid ‘24.
By Helen Gloege ’23
Staff Writer
Amariyanna “Mari” Copeny, known to many as “Little Miss Flint,” is a 14-year-old activist based in Flint, Michigan. Her activism began at just eight years old, when she first became aware of the undrinkable water in her hometown, in which high levels of lead were detected. Copeny began to gain national attention when she wrote a letter to then-President Barack Obama to convince him to come to Flint and see the water crisis firsthand. This letter prompted Obama’s May 2016 visit to Flint. After his visit, he declared a federal state of emergency for the Michigan town and allocated $100 million in aid to address the issue.
Since 2016, Copeny has raised over half a million dollars for Flint Kids, an organization that supports children affected by the water crisis. In addition to her work with Flint Kids, she has raised over $250 thousand to provide community members with bottled water. In 2020, she began producing her own water filter as a longer-term solution to the crisis.