Lorena Allam’s article on the Australia referendum touched me deeply (Rejecting the voice shows Australia is still in denial, its history of forgetting a festering wrong, theguardian.com, 14 October). I write this as a non-Indigenous father in Canada who also has no power, influence or access to the media. The “multitude of backgrounds that have experienced racial discrimination” – that’s me, my parents, my children. So I understand that the right to free speech is not the same as the right to be heard as an equal.
Thank you for your words and for trying to make the world a better place. The creation of the yes campaign’s community of volunteers is key to winning over racism and misinformation. May this grassroots movement fight on.
Kaan Oran
Toronto, Canada
