As an artist and organizer in my community of Dgheyey Kaq’, now known as Anchorage, Alaska, my goal with this image was to uplift the work being done to protect the sacred coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge. The Gwich’in people call this place “Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit” (The Sacred Place Where Life Begins), and yet our current administration is aggressively pursuing oil and gas leasing here. We cannot let this happen. I have been involved with Defend the Sacred AK since its creation, and we are a movement of Alaskans who value people power in building a just and equitable transition to a post-oil economy, guided by Indigenous voices and place-based knowledge. 

Take action and support us at:  www.defendthesacredak.org