CUNDLETOWN woman Sam Robinson is heading to the Northern Territory to run the Australian Outback Marathon at Uluru on July 26.
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A self-professed slow runner, Sam intends to complete the full marathon (42.2km) to raise awareness for Recognise - the movement to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution and to ensure there is no place in it for racial discrimination.
Australia prides itself on being a place of fairness. However, currently there is an historical exclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from Australia's Constitution. There is also one part (Section 25), which states that the states can ban people from voting based on their race.
As a non-indigenous person Sam said, "Most people, particularly non-indigenous Australians are unaware that the remarkable cultures and history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aren't recognised in the Constitution, and that there are sections that allow for racial discrimination."
"I think that if people understood what the proposed changes in the Constitution are about, they would probably support the amendments."
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived in this land for more than 40,000 years, keeping alive the world's oldest continuous cultures.
"I am not sure why we wouldn't want to embrace this unique and rich heritage as an important part of our distinctive national identity and the shared history of every Australian."
Sam is putting the call out for everyone to visit the Recognise website (www.recognise.com.au) to check it out for themselves.
"The issues are explained simply, and there are some great stories. I found the site inspirational."