From County Down to downtown Manhattan, Jim Clerkin has moved around, and systematically up, in the world. After a career in the alcoholic beverage industry, he’s landed the top position in Moët Hennessy in North America. Now that he’s there, his goal is to help others do the same.
℘
℘
Jim Clerkin has had a relationship with Hennessy since before he was born. His father’s drink was cognac and ginger ale. His brand – Hennessy. Clerkin remembers serving his father while working part-time at a friend’s bar in Rostrevor, where he grew up. It probably wasn’t the most unlikely of drinks, given that Hennessy was the first cognac to be imported to Ireland in the 19th century. But of all the kids in County Down whose fathers or mothers drank the same mix, Clerkin is the only one to head a division of the brand.
Lead On: A federal rule full of holes
For about three decades, Evanston has collected nearly 440 water samples for lead testing. 60% came from the historically White and wealthy 6th and 7th wards. Only 1.8% came from the historically Black 5th Ward.
HEENA SRIVASTAVA: When my co-reporter Kalen and I started reporting this story, it was based on one of those hunches you really hope isn’t true one of those stories where, if you were wrong, it meant people were doing their jobs well. But if you were right, it meant Evanston officials were neglecting residents, and they were paying the price.
Lead On: Drinking from a lead straw
DARRELL KING: We’re in full compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule.
TOM NELTNER: So who you’re going to miss are typically working families. You might miss younger families.
DARRELL KING: Well, most of the time, it just really comes down to access. You’d be amazed at how difficult it is to get people to participate.
ROBIN RUE SIMMONS: I disagree with there being barriers. That is an excuse that I would not tolerate going forward. We have families that need to know if they are vulnerable to unhealthy lead levels in their water.
December 22, 2020
Second Ward resident Regina SantâAnna has helped her elderly neighbor carry hundreds of boxes of bottled water from her car to her home. Living on the border of the historically Black 5th Ward, SantâAnna has noticed that some residents are concerned about their water quality.
âAt times in underserved communities of color, brown or Black, you have a lot of people investing in (bottled) water,â SantâAnna said. âYou have to put in your budget plastic bottled water, because you do not trust the water systems.â
SantâAnnaâs neighbor is one of many Evanston residents concerned about their drinking water. Home to Evanstonâs only waste transfer station, the 5th Ward specifically has suffered from discriminatory environmental policies that impact residentsâ air quality and health. While the reasons for distrust may vary, the 2014 Flint, Mich. water crisis renewed city-wide concern for lead in water.