Sister City Sign Unveiled In Chatham-Kent


We're twinned with Harpers Ferry:
Sign unveiling makes it official
The Chatham Daily News
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Page: 3
Section: News
Byline: Yvonne Bendo
Source: The Daily News

It's official. More than two years after a formal twinning ceremony in Harpers Ferry, W. Va., Chatham-Kent has officially unveiled a plaque denoting their shared connection with abolitionist John Brown.  At Tuesday's unveiling in Zonta Park in downtown Chatham with Mayor Diane Gagner, Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society's Gwen Robinson said this community was home to the John Brown convention in 1858 where plans were laid out for the Raid in Harpers Ferry --
a raid which some believe helped spark the American Civil War. 
"It was a strike against slavery," Robinson said, of the Oct. 18, 1859, attack on the armory and arsenal at Harpers Ferry.
It was a failed raid, and Brown was arrested and hanged for treason.
"This one man by his one act, losing his life, helped free those four million slaves," Robinson said. 
"He did what not many have an inkling to do, take on something where your life is in jeopardy and eventually lose it --
especially a white man to take on this cause of freeing the slaves."
Robinson said Brown deserves "international recognition."  And she believes that is beginning to happen as he's honored on both sides of the border.
Robinson attended the commemoration ceremonies in West Virginia in October 2003. However, she said, illness prevented Harpers Ferry Mayor Jim Addy from attending Tuesday's ceremony. But she said he called and offered his congratulations and expressed an interest in more partnerships including a student exchange between the two communities.
Gagner commended Robinson's work and that of the historical society for ensuring the rich local black history, which is very much a part of Chatham-Kent's history, is recognized. She said the plaque "creates a point for visitors to come and remember the role that John Brown, and what was Chatham at the time,
played in history and the freedom of slaves.
Gagner also commended the Zonta Club of Chatham-Kent for allowing the plaque to be erected in its park, in a central spot for residents and tourists to see.
 

UNVEILING TWINNING SIGN:

Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society's Gwen Robinson, left, and Mayor Diane Gagner
Tuesday officially unveiled the sign twinning Chatham-Kent with Harpers Ferry, W. Va., which now stands in Zonta Park in downtown Chatham. The two communities share a connection with abolitionist John Brown.
 

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