Consumer advocate Erin Brockovich, best known for her involvement in one of the largest direct action lawsuits in U.S. history, spoke to a group of reporters at news conference held at Catawba College on November 7th.
She said the purpose of her visit to campus was “to impart messages of hope and inspiration.”
“People are waking up to the fact that there are things we can do and get involved at the local level to make changes. Superman’s not coming and I want them [students and citizens in a community] to learn to be their own hero.”
She explained, “I’m from the Midwest and my parents imparted to me values like honor, integrity and respect. We’ve moved away from that and need to come back to it. We need to get down on the ground hearing what people are saying. They feel like they’re not being heard. It’s a problem.
“I don’t want to make water a political issue, but we will not be sustained without water. We have a common denominator in our water supply. I want everybody to put their swords down and fix the [water] problem. I feel like I’m talking to my children: ‘You need to come in here and clean up your mess.’
“Health comes first and profits, second, and when you put health first over profits, an interesting thing happens [for companies], people trust you.”
