The Sharks will take to the field on Saturday night when they play the Cowboys sporting the ‘R’ of ‘Recognise’, on the front of their shorts, in support of the campaign to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the constitution and remove racial discrimination.
After supporting 'Recognise' in 2015 in a similar fashion as the clubs front of shorts branding, the Sharks will continue to display the ‘R’ until further notice, beginning tomorrow night.
As explained by Tanya Hosch, RECOGNISE Joint Campaign Director, it is a gesture which is certainly appreciated by those involved in the campaign.
“The ongoing partnership with the Sharks shows a real commitment to RECOGNISE and leadership amongst the rugby league community,” Hosch began.
“We are looking forward to seeing the RECOGNISE ‘R’ on the uniforms this weekend. It is one thing to say you support constitutional recognition but the ongoing public display of support is demonstration of the growing desire to Recognise First Australians in our highest legal document and deal with racial discrimination at the same time.
“Since 2013, the RECOGNISE movement has gained significant support from over 178 organisations, 13 of those sporting clubs and 189,000 individuals. Last month, Prime Minister and Opposition Leader, both renewed commitments to work for a 2017 Referendum on constitutional recognition.”
RECOGNISE is the campaign for all Australians to get a chance to vote to recognise the first Australians in the Constitution – and to ensure there’s no place for racial discrimination in it either.
As it stands, the Australian Constitution makes no mention of the first 40,000-plus years of Australian history and the people who forged it.
Indigenous Sharks players Ben Barba, Andrew and David Fifita were staunch advocates of the RECOGNISE initiative when it was launched last year.
