Duchess Meghan speaks out on racism in resurfaced 2012 video
A video of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has resurfaced online and gained traction in the wake of George Floyd's death at the hands of police. In it, Meghan's message is one of growing up biracial and her experiences with racism -- one still timely nearly a decade later.
"I'm biracial," she says in the clip, which was created for Erase the Hate's "I Won't Stand For..." campaign in 2012. "Most people can't tell what I'm mixed with, and so much of my life has felt like being a fly on the wall. And so, some of the slurs that I've heard, or the really offensive jokes, or the names, it's just hit me in a really strong way."
Meghan -- whose father, Thomas Markle, is white -- also recalled hearing her mom, Doria Ragland, who is black, called the N-word. The 38-year-old former "Suits" star, who during the clip is wearing a T-shirt with "I Won't Stand For Racism" written on it," said instances like this and the overall landscape of our country make her "want things to be better."
"I am really proud of my heritage on both sides," she added. "I'm really proud of where I come from and where I'm going, but yeah, I hope that by the time that I have children that people are even more open-minded to how things are changing and that having a mixed world is what it's all about. Certainly it makes it a lot more beautiful and a lot more interesting."
Meghan, of course, is now mom to 1-year-old son Archie with husband Prince Harry.
While we haven't heard directly from Meghan or the Duke of Sussex on the Floyd tragedy or the protests that have popped up across the world, we know where they stand.
The Queen's Commonwealth Trust, of which Prince Harry, 35, is president and Meghan is vice president -- spoke out on social media Monday in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
"Young people are vital voices in the fight against injustice and racism around the world," a message from the foundation began. "As a global community of young leaders we stand together in pursuit of fairness and a better way forward. Silence is not an option."
"We all have the power to effect positive change," it continued. "It is time to speak up and speak out. Time to have uncomfortable conversations with ourselves and with others. Time to educate ourselves and unlearn. Time to come together and build a better future as one."
