This image is based on an original photograph by Ossie Michelin of Amanda Polchies – a Mi’kmaq land and water defender peacefully standing up to the shale gas company SWN and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police near the Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick, Canada in 2013.

As we ritually wash our hands, we reflect on how vital water is. We think of the Water Protectors who have risked their lives to stand up for the basic right to their natural resources. And we think of all those across our nation - in places like Flint, MI - and around the world who do not have access to clean, safe water.