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Fighting for Clean Water
Courtesy of Autumn Peltier
Autumn Peltier is a member of the Wiikwemkoong First Nation.
When Autumn Peltier was 8, she visited a First Nation (a term for an Indigenous community) in Ontario, Canada. The tap water there was under a boil water advisory–meaning it had to be boiled for at least a minute before it was safe to drink–and Autumn was infuriated to learn that many other First Nations struggled with the same problem. She began speaking with world leaders about how clean water is a basic human right. Last year, Autumn was named chief water commissioner for Anishinabek Nation, a group of 40 First Nations across Ontario. Now 16, she continues trying to persuade governments to improve the safety of the water. She’s made progress: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to end all First Nation boil water advisories as soon as possible, but Autumn’s not stopping there. As she once told the United Nations, “One day, I will be an ancestor, and I want my great-grandchildren to know I tried hard to fight so they could have clean drinking water.”