Meghan Interview highlights racism in the UK
Black Britain not surprised by skin tone comment
It’s been over a week now and the long-awaited Oprah Winfrey interview with Megan and Harry ruffled a few feathers. Beautiful, educated, and mixed-raced is a combination that is not normally paraded on British TV, but last Monday night an estimated 17.1 million UK viewers watched as Megan, the Duchess of Sussex spoke her truth.
Just as when Obama got elected as president, I was proud when I heard Meghan had come from an ethnic background and was parking her petite rear end in the royal family. However, I wasn’t naïve to the fact that she would face Racism. I’m sure I wasn’t the only black person that reacted the way I did when she said there were concerns about how dark Archie’s skin would be. It was more of a nervous laugh, made to mask the unfortunate fact that I didn’t understand why Oprah and Meghan seemed so astonished.
Family
The Royal family is like many families. They have expectations, traditions and hierarchies and the dynamics are normally controlled by culture and class. Harry stepped outside of this when he tried to add a woman of colour to the Monarchy. A Monarchy built on racism and colonialism.
Tut-tut Harry, an obvious black sheep of the family like myself, the difference is you are sixth in line to the throne.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say just as many white men are privileged, he was unaware that this is what we encounter all too often.
A black person in the United Kingdom is indirectly treated as the subordinate class and being a female means we face even more prejudice than that of a white man. Having worked in a corporate arena for over nine years and facing several instances of institutionalised racism, being the “face of the race” and watching people with fewer skills progress while being told I don’t fit the company image was my life so I related to Meghan. I Listened to Meghan specify a clear difference between the family and the institute and it affirmed that she still holds a level of respect for members of the royal family. This should be commended as her resilience against not wanting to exist in a family that refused to offer security to her family would have been hard enough for one to keep any.
The reaction
Who is the PR for the Royal family? We need to ask this question because the recent pictures of Prince Charles at the vaccine centre and footage of Prince William and Kate with these strategically placed people scream “I’m not racist, I have black friends”.
Let’s talk about it. William and Kate walked in their coats while a black woman in her short-sleeved African print clasped her hands. In winds of 66 to 86 miles per hour, she stays in the frame but, is always behind them. I’m unsure whether the family or “Firm” orchestrated these events, but someone needs to notify the person responsible that people can have friends and associates of another culture and still be racist. It is all too expected and not authentic. Just release a statement and refrain from the theatrics. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a bit eccentric they specifically mentioned race and didn’t give the public a detailed statement. As my grandmother would say, sometimes we must pick sense out of nonsense. The statement said “extent” eluding that the queen knew of some challenges faced and “privately” confirming Meghan’s explanation about portrayal and living as a royal. The problem with this is the Monarchy states they “represent the people.” We want to know what is being done. Trust levels are low after allegations about Prince Andrew seem to be dusted under the carpet and invisible contracts between the press and the family were described by Harry.
Gayle King is spilling all the tea about Charles and William speaking to Harry. Who thinks she should stay out of family business? I do.
What’re your thoughts? Have you faced racism in a marriage?
Jojo
