For First Nations people in Australia, this week’s vote on our recognition in the Constitution is starting to feel like a choice between love and war.
The debate on this landmark referendum has intensified, and the polarization between the hard "Yes” and "No” cases means that 28% of Australians are still yet to decide how they will vote.
Many First Nations people are grappling with the fact that our fate in this country’s democracy will come down to the decision by those Australians who have never met an Indigenous person. According to the nonprofit Reconciliation Australia, only 17% of the population have socialized with First Nations people in the past year. It means most citizens only understand Indigenous issues through mainstream media, which is rife with stereotypes, racism and hostile headlines that draw battle lines rather than build bridges.