This year’s Harris Common Read delves into one of the greatest dereliction of duties in modern political history. What the Eyes Don’t See by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is a firsthand account of the Flint water crisis and its effect on countless lives, revealing how misguided policies, failed democracy, and bureaucratic indifference placed an entire city at risk.
A pediatrician and social advocate, and the daughter of Iraqi immigrants, Dr. Hanna-Attisha chronicles her fight to help the residents of Flint, Michigan, through the use of science, medicine, and activism that eventually gained international attention – but only after experiencing much personal strife.
In collaboration with the Program on Global Environment's Frizzell Family Speaker and Learning Series, join us for a conversation with Dr. Hanna-Attisha to culminate our Common Read events for the 2020-2021 school year. Event from 6:00 - 7:00 PM.
The Frizzell Family Speaker and Learning Series is a year-long, student-organized series of events that engages the fields of agriculture, environment, health, and best practices drawn from social science inquiry. The Frizzell Series is meant to commemorate the life, accomplishments, and aspirations of Alexandra Frizzell, and is administered by the College and the Program on the Global Environment.
Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP, is founder and director of the Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, an innovative and model public health program in Flint, Michigan.
A pediatrician, scientist, activist and author, Dr. Hanna-Attisha has testified four times before the United States Congress and was awarded the Freedom of Expression Courage Award by PEN America. She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and recognized as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery efforts, and most recently, received the 2020 CDC Foundation’s Fries Prize for Improving Health. Read Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha'a full biography.