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YOUR Independent Community Newspaper
Vol. 4 Edition 34
Artist, church team up to fight injustice
By Mary Beth Corcoran mary@chathamvoice.com
Editor’s note: This is the final story in a three-part series on human trafficking in The Chatham Voice. After many years of imploring the Canadian government to investigate the murder and disappearance of Indigenous women across the country, there will finally be a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The announcement, made earlier this month, is an issue followed closely by David Maris, an artist and activist originally from the Blenheim area. Through his art, which he calls neo-political expressionism, Maris created a series of paintings on canvas that he calls flags, which depict his anger with the violence against
Indigenous women and the injustice of a government that has been called out internationally for its poor record on addressing human rights violations. His flags are currently on display in the Blenheim United Church as part of an exhibit that will eventually make its way to Switzerland. Two years ago, Maris said he was part of an international group of artists, Global Discomfort, producing activist art. When the United Church, nationally, put forward a resolution calling for a public inquiry into the murdered and missing Indigenous women, he called them. “I contacted them about working with them and having shows that could highlight the issues,” Maris said while in Blenheim to visit his sister.
Continued on page 4
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Neighbourhood spirit
Mary Beth Corcoran/The Chatham Voice
Members of the Chatham Central Neighbourhood Association including co-chair Karen Bondy, front and Jyl Panjer get help from Chatham-Kent Police Service Sgt. Jim Lynds taking on the neighbourhood kids at Wonderwood Park’s new basketball nets recently. See story on page 5.
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