Maureen Taylor

Maureen D. Taylor, Chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights
Organization, is a leader in the battle to end poverty, stop
privization and water shut offs for more than 45,000 Detroit homes. Michigan Welfare rights, and other organizations,
negotiated the “Water Affordability Plan” which passed the Detroit City Council. The plan was supposed to be implemented July 1, 2006. The battle continues as more families have their water shut off for lack of payment. Maureen has been in the forefront of the fight for the rights of the poor for over 20 years.

To bring Maureen Taylor to your city, call Speakers for a New America, 800-691-6888 or e-mail info@speakersforanewamerica.com

Maureen D. Taylor says :

“What kind of nightmare is it when up to 45,000 homes are without water? At night people are coming outside with their porch lights off with buckets and hoses attached to other houses… I don't care what anyone says -- you know
you can't turn off water. We need to say 'Stop!' We're not going to do this anymore. We're going to start fresh!"

“The Rust Belt, once a Mecca of automobile manufacturing has seem more than a half a million jobs lost in the Detroit area alone. Detroit is still the number one car manufacturing place but with 1/20th of the workers. The cars
coming off the line are built by robots."

“We've got African American men unemployed at about 75%; Hispanics at about 55%; white at about 35-40%. The numbers are greater for women. We got men, women and children sleeping under bridges or in abandoned houses who used to be factory or retail workers. In Wayne County alone, 62,000 houses are up for foreclosure. John Engler, the worst governor of all times, destroyed the Michigan social welfare system. Now you stay outside with a big sign that says "will work for food" and freeze. But, the disintegration of capitalism is waking people up. There's nothing else to do except organize on the basis of a new society."

Maureen D. Taylor’s Activities :

• A grassroots candidate for Detroit City Council on a program of water, healthcare, education, for all. Her campaign was stolen by powerful forces who could not allow her to have a legal platform to expose the treachery that goes on in City Hall. A candidate with a similar name (Morino Taylor, who no one ever saw) was placed on the ballot to siphon votes. A suit was filed challenging the outcome .

• A leader in the fight to for a Water Affordability Plan for families who cannot afford the skyrocketing cost of water and against the privitizaton of water.

• Michigan Welfare Rights Organization hosted a “People's Meet and Greet Celebration” for the Venezuelan Ambassador. This meeting with Detroiters and Venezuelans was the beginning of a new dialogue between communities to eradicate poverty.

• Speaker at the Boston Social Forum and many other local and national events