As protests continue to rock the country in response to the murder of George Floyd (opens in new tab) and the longtime treatment of Black citizens in America, an eerily timely old video has resurfaced of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. In the two-minute clip from February 2012, re-posted recently by a fan account, Markle talked candidly about her experience being biracial while wearing a T-shirt that reads "I won't stand for racism" for the campaign Erase the Hate. (opens in new tab)
In the video, she says: "I hope that by the time 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." Meghan become a mom in 2019 to son Archie Harrison, who turned one this past spring.
Here's the video:
Speaking candidly to the camera, Markle says:
My name's Meghan Markle and I'm here because I think it’s a really important campaign to be a part of. For me, I think it hits a really personal note. I'm bi-racial, 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. And then, you know, a couple of years ago I heard someone call my mom the N word. So I think for me, beyond being personally affected by racism, just to see the landscape of what our country is like right now, and certainly the world, and to want things to be better.
She also discussed what it was like leaving L.A., which she moved back to with Prince Harry and Archie earlier this year:
Leaving LA [to work on Suits in Toronto] was sort of like leaving this bubble where I was used to everything, and had been exposed to everything except for a closed mindedness that I experienced when I traveled outside of where I was from. And I think that in doing that it just really opened my eyes to a mentality that still exists that I thought was backdated to the days of when my grandfather moved our family from Cleveland to LA, and they drove across the country and to stop and get food, whatever kind of place they were going to, and they had to go round the back to get food for the family. You know, I thought that was really isolated to those days that we were past, and sadly they're not.
Her comments on the future—remember, this conversation took place eight years ago—are particularly poignant:
I am really proud of my heritage on both sides, I’m really proud of where I’ve come from and where I’m going. But yeah, I hope that by the time 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. I mean certainly, it makes it a lot more beautiful and a lot more interesting.
The resurfaced video comes days after the Queen, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle's Commonwealth Trust tweeted in support (opens in new tab) of the Black Lives Matter movement. The trust, which was established to "champion, fund and connect young leaders who are working hard to change the world," tweeted, "Young people are vital voices in the fight against injustice and racism around the world. As a global community of young leaders we stand together in pursuit of fairness and a better way forward."
"Silence is not an option," the tweet continued, ending with the hashtag "#BlackLivesMatter."