These advocates say they dedicate a lot of their time towards improving water quality in Newark. Between full time jobs, parenting, the struggle is… “O wow, the struggle is real,” says Newark activist, parent and social worker Shakima Thomas. “Keeping people involved is a difficult task because people are concerned with what is going on now in their lives. What they can see or actively change in the moment.” Thomas explains that the difficulty with treating lead in drinking water and its