Union Square Drinking Fountain

Union Square Drinking Fountain

Frankie Ciannavei

At least once a week, I pass through Union Square Park to take the train back uptown after work. Usually, it’s dark and I don’t pay attention to any of the statues, but a few weeks ago I happened to be walking up the west side in the middle of the afternoon, and noticed the drinking fountain. The large sculpture of a woman and two children, decorated with lions and lizards, had a police barricade around it that kept me from getting a closer look, so I researched the sculpture online. Crafted by Karl Adolph Donndorf in 1881, the Union Square Drinking Fountain was donated to New York City by Daniel William James “to promote public health as well as the virtue of charity.” Other reasons cited for the fountain included “contributing to the physical comfort of the people,” “teaching a lesson of religion,” and “cultivating a healthy appreciation of art.”

It’s rare to see a public drinking fountain in 2017, and I understand why, especially in New York City. Once a revolutionary concept, most people would now consider it unsanitary to take a drink of water from a public place where any other person or animal could have come in contact with it. But before 1842, New York City residents had to rely on well water. If contaminated, the drinking water could be a huge public health risk. When Manhattan finally got access to fresh water via a nearby reservoir aqueduct, it was something to celebrate.

After learning about the fountain, I was immediately reminded of Dorothy Day. At the time it was erected, the drinking fountain was providing a public service for the city. Water was available to anyone, regardless of religion or class. Because of Dorothy Day’s devotion to fighting injustice, frequently in New York City, I imagined her as the mother figure being depicted. The children could either be her own child, or a representation of the many lives she touched during her lifelong crusade against poverty. The drinking fountain has been present in the city for over a century, and much like Dorothy Day’s legacy, serves as a reminder to take care of oneself and others.

Water is vital to sustaining all life on earth, and lack of access to quantity or quality has subsequently been an issue throughout history. In our own country, protests erupted on the Standing Rock Reservation last year to oppose the Keystone Pipeline. One of the many problems with the pipeline was that if it ever were to leak, it would contaminate the drinking water of the Sioux Tribe. Even after the deplorable living conditions in Flint, Michigan, became front page news, the residents are still currently without clean water. We know that we are quickly depleting and damaging our natural resources beyond repair. The politicization of water occurs all over the world, and society’s most vulnerable-- poor communities of color, are frequently the ones who have to deal with the consequences.

In 2015, Pope Francis penned Laudato si’, an encyclical that discusses climate change and the destruction and exploitation of our common home, Earth. Francis outlines what needs to be done to preserve our planet, and who should be held accountable for making these changes. He does not refrain from pointing on that these environmental issues, such as water and air pollution, are largely caused by the wealthy, but are disproportionately affecting the poor. Regardless of religious affiliation, he calls on everyone to be responsible and take accountability for what they’ve done to the environment, and makes it clear those in developed nations need to do better. If politics or science have no influence on your actions, do it for your love of God and other people. The Pope is the most powerful Catholic in the world, and has a massive influence. For him to use his platform to make a statement about the link between environmental degradation and poverty is extremely profound, and highlights the importance of preserving the Earth and its resources for the coming generations, and how disastrous the future will be if we don’t.