Now, I’ll be honest with you. I haven’t regularly followed the royal family until Meghan Markle came on the scene. I thought it was very interesting to learn that Meghan Markle is half-black because she’s the first black person to ever be a part of the royal family. This revelation has rocked the U.K. people and media to the core.
Not only am I a young mother but I also come from an interracial family too. My mother is white and my father is black, while Meghan’s mother is black and her father is white. When I saw Meghan Markle’s interview with Tom Bradby, I got so emotional because I understand what it feels like to give birth and have all these new firsts happening to you and around you. What I never experienced was a whole world seemingly against me for no reason other than my genetics.
Even though we are all aware of the racism around us, it appears that the British media are bullies and are extremely racist towards The Duchess of Sussex. For example, the media in the U.K. loves comparing Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton to each other. If Kate Middleton wears wedges it’s fine, but when Meghan does it, it’s the end of the world. The problem with this is that it stirs up unnecessary drama, lies and side picking from the people following along. When Prince Harry announced that their family would be stepping down from their official duties as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, I was pleasantly surprised. A real man comes in many forms, right? To me, a man that makes the decision to take his family out of a toxic situation is a husband.
“I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces”, Prince Harry said.
Photo by NEOSiAM 2020 from Pexels
Although the United States has its fair set of issues, I do believe that Meghan and her family will feel a lot more welcome here. The media in America tends to root for the underdog and in this case, Meghan has the upper hand. Many black women rally around Meghan because they know what it feels like to be ostracized by society. Not only that, but black women, in general, want to see someone who looks like them accomplishing big things.
Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash
With Black History Month just around the corner, I find it fitting that Meghan and her family are coming back to America. I hope that she finds her peace once again and is able to continue breaking boundaries with her husband and son by her side. We need to empower and root for families that truly are committed to each other far beyond superficial means.