The mother of the now 11-year-old, who was featured on "Flint - The Poisoning Of An American City" from TIME, when he was 2-years-old says it's been a roller coaster of emotions, and they're still reliving and reminded of them, a decade later.
FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - In 2016, the Flint water crisis gained national attention on the cover of TIME Magazine. It was titled "Flint - The Poisoning Of An American City."
The photo features a face that makes readers' heart sink. The then-2-year-old, Sincere, is covered in rashes, which his mom blames on the water that came out of the faucets in their home.
Ariana Hawk, the mother of the now 11-year-old, said it's been a roller coaster of emotions over the 10 years since the Flint water crisis began and they're still reliving them.
"That this fight is not over, our kids that were 1, 2 and 3 are 11, 12, 13 now. Some of them are younger than that, so we can't give up on those babies," said Hawk. "We're asking for folks to be accountable and to not act like this is over. It's far from over."
She said it's been a long road, but now her son and many other Flint residents are trying to take strides forward a decade later. Hawk recalled the emotions she felt when the water crisis started in 2014 and the following years.
"I was more so scared -- just scared what was going on, scared what was happening to us and our families, what would be happening to our babies," she said. "It was a vulnerable spot. He was just literally going through this."
That's when Hawk said her children were exposed to the lead in the water, which caused rashes and medical problems.
"I just wish it wasn't like this for the baby's sake, for the kid's sake," she said in 2016, two years after Flint began drawing water from the Flint River and people were feeling the full effects of contamination.
Hawk said Sincere is now in school as a normal 11-year-old. He is on the leadership team and playing sports, but some things don't change.
"If it's anything, those people in positions of power need to step up and step forward. It's 10 years later, these lawsuits are still not settled, these kids are are still growing up in the same crisis 10 years later, water filters are on the sink, bottle water is a daily use," she said.
It's words which echo the feeling of many mothers focused on the future of Flint.
"What is needed there to make these people whole? All we are asking for is you to take care of these kids, because they are our future, and if we don't have a future, there what is there left for us," said the mother.
The mother of the now 11-year-old, who was featured on "Flint - The Poisoning Of An American City" from TIME, when he was 2-years-old, says it's been a roller coaster of emotions, and they're still reliving and reminded of them, a decade later.
