Art exhibit honors missing and murdered Indigenous people
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)– A series of portraits depicting missing and murdered Indigenous persons is currently on display at the Michele and Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts in Springfield.
Portraits in RED: Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples Painting Project, is the work of artist and activist Nayana LaFond, a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario. The paintings show the faces covered with a red handprint, a symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's movement (MMIW).
Unsolved violent crimes in Native American communities to get more attention with FBI surge
According to a news release from the Springfield Museums, Indigenous women and girls in the United States are significantly overrepresented in cases of missing and murdered people by a ratio of 10 to 1, and cases of violence among this group are underreported.
There will be a reception for the exhibition on Thursday, April 10, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, which is free and open to the public. The exhibit will be on display through September 7, 2025.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Some migrants detained in L.A. ICE raids have already been deported
LOS ANGELES — Less than 48 hours after Juan Fernando was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at his job at a clothing factory, he was transported back to the country he had left behind. The 23-year-old member of Mexico's Indigenous Zapotec community told his parents that he had been dropped off at an international bridge and told to cross back to Mexico, the family recounted in an interview with The Washington Post. He told them he thought he had signed a consent to a coronavirus test but may have inadvertently signed off on his deportation instead.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mass. man pleads guilty to gun, drug, and machinegun conversion device trafficking
BOSTON (WWLP) – A Lowell man has pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking firearms, distributing thousands of methamphetamine pills disguised as Adderall, and selling illegal machinegun conversion devices known as 'switches.' Springfield man charged with DUI, wrong-way driving in Enfield Billy Chan, 20, pleaded guilty last Friday to four federal charges: Engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine Distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine Transfer and possession of a machinegun. Federal prosecutors said that between March and June 2023, Chan conducted five illegal sales to undercover law enforcement officers in Lowell. The transactions included three handguns, four machinegun conversion devices, and about 2,000 counterfeit pills made to resemble Adderall. Laboratory analysis confirmed the pills were homemade methamphetamine laced with caffeine. Chan allegedly worked with a co-conspirator affiliated with the Asian Boyz gang, a group that investigators say had a significant role in distributing methamphetamine pills throughout the Merrimack Valley region during 2023. The pills were widely marketed as Adderall, a prescription stimulant, but were illicitly manufactured and contained no pharmaceutical-grade ingredients. Authorities also documented a meeting in which Chan described manufacturing the machinegun conversion devices himself while working at a machine shop. He reportedly gave a cooperating source a demonstration on how to install the 'switches' and later sent a video showing a fully automatic pistol being fired into the air, writing in a message, 'I let my boys test the switch.' The case is being prosecuted as part of , a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at reducing gun violence and violent crime by enhancing coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement and community organizations. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Arrive Alive Tour shows local students the consequences of impaired driving
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Students in the area are learning the consequences of impaired driving. Police say no one should ever drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Chicopee students got to experience a simulation of what could happen if they do just that. Daily, across the country, more than 30 people die in crashes related to drunk driving. That's one person every 42 minutes. At Chicopee Comprehensive High School, dozens of students got to try a virtual experience showing the consequences of driving distracted or under the influence. Springfield man charged with DUI, wrong-way driving in Enfield 'We have sensors on the gas pedal brakes and steering wheel,' said Arrive Alive Tour event coordinator Jalen Burress. 'They'll feel like a delayed reaction from the steering and brakes because it's trying to simulate drivers that are impaired or distracted and are going to react slower to what's on the road.' By putting on a set of special VR glasses, students got to see what it was like to drive under the influence, feeling distracted and in danger on the roads. Experts say if you feel different, you drive different. Organizers used the opportunity to educate students and bring awareness to the issue. 'It definitely feels like you should never do it, because if you actually get in a car accident you can severely hurt yourself and other people, and you would never want that to happen,' said student Griffin Stefanik. 'I experienced that, I went way over the speed limit and I didn't mean to,' said student Emily Flurry. 'It was hard to control it, like the steering wheel, and still not hit anything and stay on the right side of the road.' Chicopee police and the Arrive Alive Tour plan to speak to more high schoolers on Wednesday and Thursday about the dangers of driving distracted and under the influence. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
