[1] As part of our issue on “The Ethics of Raising Healthy Children,” I interviewed activist Deanna Branch. Branch has been gaining national attention for her work. She appeared at the State of the Union Address in January of 2024 and at the Democratic National Convention in August of 2024. I started with the question, “Who is Deanna Branch?” Her answer started with her faith and ended with her active love.
[2] “I am a proud member of Hephatha Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. And I am a proud mother, sister, and daughter in Christ. I am an advocate for the common good. I work with MICAH (Milwaukee Inter-city Congregations Allied for Hope), but I will work with any organization that is aimed towards the common good. I am especially an Environmental Justice Advocate. I am working on policies aimed at reducing lead, and lead is a major issue, but lead poisoning is just part of the bigger picture. We also need to be concerned about plastics in the water and water quality generally as well as air quality. I am getting more involved in more areas of environmental justice.”
[3] I asked Deanna what inspired her first to become an activist for child safety in regards to lead poisoning. Her answer was personal.
[4] “The name Lead Free Superhero came from my son, Aidan. Aidan is the one who really inspired me to take on this issue.” Aidan was hospitalized twice for lead poisoning. His story is enfolded in Deanna’s story as she recounts the difficulties she faced in trying to keep her child safe, healthy, and well.
[5] Deanna explains, “When Aidan was two years old, he was acting out. This was more than the terrible twos. He was judged for his erratic behavior. But when I asked the doctor for advice and help, the doctor only suggested that Aidan needed more exercise.” Aidan’s doctor did not test him for lead. Only after the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) office suggested that his lead levels might be high did Deanna find a new pediatrician who tested Aidan for lead. His levels at that time were so high, he was immediately hospitalized.
[6] Aidan was in the hospital for two weeks. Deanna praises the staff at Children’s Hospital for their all-encompassing support for her son.
[7] When Aidan was discharged, he returned home. The landlord replaced the windows but did no other work in the home. Deanna noticed that Aidan continued to struggle with behavior problems and had learning difficulties at school. Deanna says, “I felt like everyone was just trying to tolerate him, but nobody was able to really help him.”
[8] Except at church, Deanna explains. The church community was so welcoming to Aidan. They acknowledged that his was not just a personal problem, this was a community problem. Deanna met other mothers who were going through similar situations with children that had had lead poisoning. She realized, “We should not feel ashamed [that this happened], we need to stand up for justice for our children.”
[9] Unfortunately, Aidan did not get better. And when he was tested the next time his lead levels were again dangerously high. This time, when he was hospitalized, Deanna felt more scared and ashamed. Public Health got involved as did Child Protective Services. They decided that Aidan could not be discharged from the hospital until he had a lead-free home where he would be able to return. With no changes made by her landlord, Deanna, Aidan, and her older son, Jaden, moved in with family and friends. Forced to move out of the unsafe home by Child Protective Services, Deanna was sued by the landlord for breaking the lease.
[10] Caught in a system that was able to diagnose problems concerning lead poisoning in children but not able to provide real solutions, Deanna felt anger and resentment. She realized how blessed she was to have her mother be able to help her take care of her children and pay her debt to the landlord. Channeling her anger into advocacy, Deanna decided to become an activist and work for change. She decided to advocate for better housing opportunities for her family and her children and for others in the community and to lead an education campaign about the dangers of lead and how to make kids lead-free.
[11] She has done commercials in front of the house where Aidan suffered lead poisoning calling attention to unsafe housing. She has educated about the use of water filter pitchers which can make water from lead pipes safe for children. She explains that this is the most environmentally friendly way to have safe water. Her church, Hephatha Lutheran Church, now provides these pitchers for families who need them. She educates other parents about the importance of nutrition to lessen the effects of lead in children She also teaches the importance of children washing their hands before eating and taking their shoes off when coming in the house, lest they track in bits of lead paint or lead poisoned soil from outside. These methods really work. Deanna’s young daughter, Railyn, is 18 months old and completely lead free.
[12] Deanna also is a strong advocate for pediatricians testing all children for lead poisoning each year. She understands how important it is for pediatricians to listen carefully to parents’ concerns about their children’s behavior and development. She, also, explains the importance of having pediatricians in easy walking distance of bus lines so that families who live in the city so have access to care.
[13] Aidan, too, has become an advocate. During the pandemic, Deanna found that he had a talent for art. She wrote the story, and he drew the pictures for the book Aidan: Lead Free Superhero. Her church helped her find a sponsor and publisher for the book, which is available at Amazon and many local bookstores.
[14] Deanna is driven by her desire to share her story to help more families protect their children. She explains that her older son, Jaden had some lead poisoning but not at the dangerous level Aidan had. She explains that every child’s system reacts differently to lead in their environment. Older children and adults tend to be at lower risk than young children. And young children who absorb lead into their bones take longer to heal from lead poisoning. Many people struggle with the effects of lead poisoning as children for their whole lives, suffering learning difficulties and health problems.
[15] One of the key initiatives she advocates is for cities to get lead out of water pipes. Milwaukee has made an initiative to replace all lead pipes in the next 10 years. But she insists that in the meantime, parents should feel confident in water pitchers with filters that have been tested and certified to remove lead. She also stresses that parents should advocate that their children be tested for lead poisoning each year. She, also, advocates that children with learning difficulties and behavior issues be tested for lead positioning. Importantly, she reminds parents not to feel shame, but to seek care for their children.
[16] Deanna explains that she has found that sharing her story has led to good work. She was honored to be invited to the White House to speak President Biden and to the DNC to meet Vice President Harris. She has been asked to speak to people all over the world. She is proud that she has shown her children that they too can advocate for justice by telling the truth and standing up for kids and families.
[17] At the end of the interview, I asked Deanna to provide a list of things people could do to protect children from lead poisoning. She gave the following pieces of advice.
* Don’t boil water, get a water filter. And always have a water filter replacement on hand.
* Test children every year for lead poisoning from birth to age 3.
* Well fed is less lead. Be sure the child has adequate Vitamin C, calcium, and protein. A healthy diet contains lots of vegetables and legumes. Peanut butter is also a good ingredient.
*Have visitors take off shoes before walking in the house to keep the floor clean of possible lead contaminated dirt.
* Don’t let kids play on the bare soil in the city.
* Wash children’s hands frequently.
* Find a doctor that listens to you and your child.
* Advocate for children.
* Don’t be afraid to tell your story.
*If you have the means, donate water filter pitchers to families who need them.
* Advocate for accessible health care facilities for all.
*Trust that advocacy works—don’t give up.
*Be welcoming to kids at your church, without judgment.
[18} In conclusion, Deanna said the following about her work as an advocate, “It has been exhausting but exhilarating and fun—It is good to have so much unity in the family on this issue. The fight is worth it. God has us.”
