I had lived in Owen Sound for 16 years and was told at that same spot, by a well dressed white gentleman, to go home to where I came from.

Owen Sound tries so hard to be the progressive small town with so much to offer anyone from anywhere as the place to live.

But there is still that white elephant in room where tragedy is acknowledged but hanging in the rafters is the word rascism where people tend to dodge, either by choice or because it has never been in their realm.

This is where education begins. Great things have evolved with the LBGTQ in the city. I think a campaign about racism is small towns and a plan to tackle it head on is overdue.

We live a country with rich cultural and racial diversity that needs their voices to be heard and their ideas put to action. I hope Owen Sound becomes one of those small towns.

Karen Van Zyverden, Windsor