I’m so glad that the Duchess of Sussex has decided to vocally support Black Lives Matter and that she’s using her position to speak about racial justice and more. While I still believe that she did not *need* to speak, I’m happy that she chose to speak, on her own terms and in her own way. I’m also pleased to see that her graduation/commencement video will likely be the first step in a larger campaign for Meghan and Harry. A source “close to the couple” told People Magazine: “They are holding calls with community leaders and organizations but are doing that privately as they continue to see how they can play a role. But they also want to learn and talk about it like the rest of us.” Omid Scobie says the same – that the Sussexes are looking to get more involved:
Earlier this week, Meghan Markle gave an impassioned graduation address to high school students, and discussed the Black Lives Matter movement. And according to BAZAAR.com’s royal editor at large, Omid Scobie, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been doing even more work behind the scenes. Per Scobie, a source revealed to BAZAAR, “This is something that is incredibly personal to Meghan, especially given everything she has experienced. And as a couple, it is, of course, very important. They are both feeling it, just like the rest of us.”
As the royal editor reported, “Both Meghan and Harry have been quietly having meetings behind the scenes with people on all levels to make sure that they are educated and connected to the issues of police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement.”
Importantly, a source revealed, “Harry and Meghan have been having private conversations with community leaders and people at every level,” to ensure that they understand current events. Per BAZAAR’s source, “By speaking to as many people and organizations as possible, it has been a way for them to feel connected to everything that’s going on and learn more about the issues surrounding it.”
“They are both feeling it, just like the rest of us.” Yep. It feels like… substantive change is being made and will continue to be made. It feels like this is the moment, that it’s not a matter of simply being shouted down by an American police force which – more often than not – behaves like a roving gang of murderous thugs. I hope Meghan and Harry both add their voices to the larger conversations about racism, social justice and more.
Speaking of, remember how Katie Nicholl at Vanity Fair wouldn’t shut up about how Meghan’s speech was well received even though Meghan was being “political.” Well, since the royal reporters can’t smear Meghan with “the palace is shocked and appalled by Meghan’s video,” they keep going on and on about how POLITICAL this is. Dickie Arbiter had some sh-t to say:
Meghan Markle was only free to back Black Lives Matter and call the death of George Floyd racist because she stepped back from royal duties, an expert tells Newsweek. Had she been a senior, working member of the royal family she might have been accused of politicizing the monarchy.
Dickie Arbiter, Queen Elizabeth II’s former press secretary, told Newsweek: “It would have been pretty impossible. What’s happened in the states is an absolute tragedy and it should never have happened but unfortunately it did happen. Had Meghan and Harry still been in the U.K. and working members of the royal family that speech couldn’t have happened. I’m talking about the whole speech, end of. It’s highly politicized because of the very nature of what it is. And it’s starting to voice opinions about the internal affairs of another country. I don’t think the queen has to say anything. It is a social issue for the United States and it is not for a head of state to voice an opinion, whether the queen or the president of France or whoever.”
I’m so glad Meghan stopped short of giving up her American citizenship to obtain British citizenship. I’m so glad that she’s not in Frogmore Cottage right now, trying to navigate this utter horsesh-t anymore. I’m so glad she’s around people who are not gaslighting her about her lived experience as a black woman in this world. I’m so glad that she’s not in England, being told that racism and police brutality is solely an “American problem” and that “racism is bad” is somehow a very divisive political issue with many sides.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red and Backgrid.
Yes happy for her.
And in the UK the problem has gotten worst since Brexit. I have friends in the UK and one of them is a Bulgarian man who has been living in London for 20 years. In december a man asked him an information, and detected his accents (my friend is huge and white) so he started shouting to go “back to sell kebab in his country” . He told me he never had something like this in 20 years.
As an Eastern European I’ve experienced similar things. But mostly, I couldn’t get any job interviews until I put down a Cambridge certificate in my CV. I’m white, I’m privileged and all I could think of was how I couldn’t even imagine how hard it must be for people of color or other religion. UK has huge issues with class and racial profiling and I’m happy to support this cause now. I want to be in the last rows supporting BLM now. I want their voices to be heard first. And I so hope there will be a change. That said, I hope people in my country learn from this and finally show respect and stand with the Roma people and Muslim people that are part of our world and were treated as lesser beings. Each country has their own individual issues that need to be addressed now.
Another Eastern European living in the UK here! I live in Scotland, but I have a few friends living in England. The difference is, at times, jarring. I do believe that Scotland is more culturally inclusive than England, and it was overwhelmingly anti-Brexit. But I’ve been very excited about the conversation that the BLM movement has stirred up in the UK and exposed a lot of prejudices and injustice across the board. It’s also managed to further prove that the Brexit campaign was nothing more than a xenophobic witch hunt.
The UK is a total s**t show at the moment. They are starting to have BLM protests as well, which is completely justified not just as an expression of solidarity with Black Americans but also given the discrimination British Black people experience and their treatment by the police. But, differently to the US, here it seems that most of the reaction towards the marches is negative.
What brought a smile to my face was the toppling a slave trader statue in Bristol. But even the Labour Leader spoke out against it, trying to pander to racist northern voters. Absolutely deplorable.
The amount of people upset over a statue of a slaver put up in 1895 just because he used some of his slave money for schools and hospitals shows you that the UK has a racism problem as much as the US. The same crap gets said when confederate statues get pulled down. Statues glorify people and if you profited from slavery you are a horrible human regardless of where you put some of your blood money.
@Nic919 Yes, could not agree more.
Labour has let POCs down. They think that if they pander to the racist vote, they can get back into power. They also think that the POC vote is in the bag because the alternative is the Tories who much more openly xenophobic. I think a lot of British POCs are not going to vote going forwards.
The Liberal Democrats leader however, has written an open letter calling for the Government to issue guidance on removing statues of slave traders. She didn’t mince words!
I agree, good for the people of Bristol for knocking that statue down! It is long overdue.
This is one of my favourite funny twitter threads of the past few weeks – it’s about the statue and the thread applies all the terrible dialogue that is used against Black victims or arrest and detainment and build on the narratives out of the news in the US right now to show the utter ridiculousness of it:
example of some of the tweets:
Protester say statue tripped, fell into water;
But what was the statue wearing?
2 protesters have been suspended, pending an investigation
Protesters investigate themselves, find no wrong doing
and ..the Statue knew things were politically charged, why didn’t it just stay home?
https://twitter.com/profmusgrave/status/1269724480731066375
It seems racism is political when a black or biracial woman talks about it, but not a white prince. Meghan is “sowing division”. Protesters who are black, or from a racialized group, are “radical” troublemakers. White allies joining them are “traitors”, and at the very least, worthy of suspicion.
Champagne liberals from the white elite who make references to racism when it is in their political interest *cough* prince William* cough* are applauded. It’s safe for them to speak about it, because we all know they won’t really do anything substantive to change the social order or threaten privilege.
I’m glad Meghan is now surrounded by many friends who are vocal about racial injustice and who will support and validate her speaking out. I’m sure she feels scarred and a little traumatized by her UK experience of racist gaslighting, and that makes at least part of her feel tentative about what to say and how to say it.
This says it all:
“It is a social issue for the United States and it is not for a head of state to voice an opinion, whether the queen or the president of France or whoever.”
See? The British royal family doesn’t think “black lives matter” is an “issue” in the UK, or that the head of any state should address the issue in any way.
Starmer , Labour leader, said it wasn’t the right way to go about getting rid of the statue, but that it absolutely should have gone a long time ago. “We can’t in the 21st century Britain, have a slaver on a statue.” Other Labour leaders spoke out even more passionately about it, and made the point that the community had tried in the past to have an explanation added to the statue about the truth of what it was representing but had been blocked continuously, so what recourse did they have? I don’t think this is pandering to racism, in my view. I don’t think racists would feel supported by this. There’s a lot of discussion about it in the Guardian.
@Eleonor
Excellent points
It is pretty bad take it from a Brit here.Daily Mail has somehow managed to sow so much hate and division in some gullible Brits (who are always looking to blame someone), into thinking Eastern Europeans especially are our biggest problem. They have become targets of hate crime. Most ave left UK Since Brexit
It’s political when she says something about racism being bad but when William… Oops sorry, forgot to apply my double standards there. But no, no racism at all here in the UK, that’s an issue for the colonies.
That’s also because she had something of actual substance to say, whereas William was just ‘bored’ of racism.
Is it political because in America the BLM movement is connected to politics because their demands involve reforms to our government? Saying ‘black lives matter’ isn’t political obviously so this is a non-issue in the first place and clearly this guy just needs to moan.
When Meghan says she is going to do something or wants to do it, she does it….I am curious to see what she is going to do.
I know of expectations are put upon her, I am also looking forward to see what she will do for Violence against women (Uyinene Mrwetyana is just one example)…
I know Covid19 has delayed a lot of their plans but Meghan has a lot of good she can bring to the world! All the best to her
She does. Loved her foreword for Mayhew ❤️
TBH, we don’t really know if or how COVID has delayed her/their plans. It’s certainly given them some scrutiny free time to strategize and meet with working partners online. I bet we’ll start seeing some results of that when the world reopens.
I don’t think anyone in the UK is under any illusion about there being racism here; anyone who says otherwise is just an idiot or a troll. We know we have a problem, not just with racism but with xenophobia too (eg horrible attitudes to white Eastern Europeans). But I totally agree about BLM being a ‘political issue’- I’ve never understood why caring about black lives is framed as some divisive take.
You’d be surprised of Britain’s racism denial. Just last week Emily Mathis of Andrew/Epstein interview fame was querying why Black Brits were protesting as “Britain doesn’t have the same legacy of slavery as US”. Most of the TV debates around BLM have started with question does Britain have same race issue as US. Heard royal commentators say if Britain is so racist why do so many people from all over emigrate here. Even Tory ministers were saying similar this week in response to the BLM protests. The denial/ignorance from very highly educated folks& not just trolls is real.
Usual double standards at play with Meghan. Not political when Sophie talks about gender equality& importance of women engaging in the political process, when William calls for more diversity in film industry or when Charles hopes for freedom, equality& justice for Palestinians. Usual double standards at play with Meghan. Yawn
Dickie also said that the Queen couldn’t possibly be racist because there are majority black countries in the Commonwealth!
I remember watching an ep of QI (British celebrity panel show) where host Stephen Fry was talking about WWII and how terrible it was that the US army was segregated and the UK would never stand for that. Harrumph! backwards Americans!… meanwhile British colonialism. Like yeah you may not have had slaves on English soil, but you’ve some @#$%. You just pat yourselves on the back for keeping the slaves out of sight overseas. Totes better.
Agree with Bella Dupont.
I also think that denial of racism is widespread everywhere that there is racism.
I’ll just leave this here for any Brits who are in denial:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/12/british-history-slavery-buried-scale-revealed
I mean, a few weeks ago there was a post where about 20 people insisted in the comments that racism was pretty much only in the US, other countries just didn’t have the problems we have, and some of those posters were from the UK.
Errr….(laughs nervously)…I don’t recall anyone making that argument. What I remember was being said is that the UK’s racism issues aren’t quite as virulent as it is in the US. I realise that’s a hurtful thing to hear for our American commenters…..I remember a lot of people being upset at what must have felt like they were personally being called out, which was not the intention at all and I’m genuinely sorry if anyone felt that way.
The UK IS RACIST. No arguments there. But it’s racism is stage 2 cancer to America’s stage 4 cancer. That’s just what it is. Sadly, the UK now seems to be progressing to stage 3. That’s just my opinion of course and I’m sure many people will disagree.
We all have a lot of work to do.
I mean, okay. *shrugs* I’m not rehashing it again.
I’m from the UK and I can categorically tell from my own lived experience that the UK is just bad if not worse. We don’t learn about it, speak about, acknowledge it in any shape or form.
We literally bullied out a foreign born biracial mother out of the country. People are more tied up in how you ‘behave’ than the truth.
I had no idea that British taxpayers had continued to pay descendants of slave owners money as compensation up until 2015. And even that’s spun as how ‘kind’ we are to pay for ending slavery.
The gaslighting is truly disgusting and violent.
Boris Johnson, with a long history of racist comments, just said that he doesn’t think Britain is racist. That’s how much gaslighting there is about racism.
On the ‘which country has it worst’ I like what the artist Dave said “ I say the least racist is STILL racist”. So focus should be on being anti racist as Angela Davis said.
@ Becks
That’s fine, wasn’t looking to re-hash, just to correct the statement you made, which wasn’t quite correct. 🙃
I agree, Becks1. Racist is racist. And slavery and colonizing is bad. It’s not a contest for having the least racist country and if that’s the argument being made, then those people are interrupting an important conversation and giving racists a talking point.
I recall that thread because I also recall mentioning how the UK set up slavery in many parts of the world and that they only stopped it 30 years before the US did. Also the uk bought cotton from the south to help maintain that slave economy.
And that’s not even getting into what happened in the Caribbean or in India.
I have quite a bit of Polish in me and yes, Eastern Europeans are not liked in many places and honestly have never really been liked in much of W. Europe. I grew up around Polish culture and I’ve heard a very specific slur before. It’s disheartening. I hate seeing people peddle the same stuff the Nazis did toward the Poles but nobody ever really talks about it. I don’t think most people even know of the prejudice and discrimination they face,……….
So Meghan speaking about black lives matter is political but William saying he’s bored of racism, mentioning racism in his BAFTA speech and essentially blaming Africa for over-population is not?
As usual, one set of standards for Meghan, and another for everyone else
Yeah, compassion is a pretty controversial stance.
“I’m so glad Meghan stopped short of giving up her American citizenship to obtain British citizenship. I’m so glad that she’s not in Frogmore Cottage right now, trying to navigate this utter horsesh-t anymore. I’m so glad she’s around people who are not gaslighting her about her lived experience as a black woman in this world. I’m so glad that she’s not in England, being told that racism and police brutality is solely an “American problem” and that “racism is bad” is somehow a very divisive political issue with many sides. “———— BRAVOOOOOOOOO.
There is something really wrong with the RF if BLM is seen as a “political issue”
Exactly. 🙃
“I don’t think the queen has to say anything”
Exactly right Dickie old chum, the Queen doesn’t need to speak as her actions are screaming at us.
I don’t think Dickie needs to say anything either! What a gasbag.
I wish Katie Nichol would just shut it and another hobby. Maybe fiction writing, as she’s so use to making s..t up. Nearly every royal organisation has spoken up in support of BLM, so she is definetly grasping at straws. There are very nuanced conversations going on in the UK right now over BLM and what that means for racism and social justice in Britain. No one with half a brain thinks that racism is a uniquely American problem, just that it manifests differently in the UK. By most it’s seen as a social issue rather than a political one.
Thank you for the accurate wording, roving band of murderous thugs.
YES! I read that phrase a few times, slowly, to savour the absolutely perfect imagery 👌
If the Queen can’t even weigh in in any meaningful way on such a huge existential issue for Black people, then I really think it’s time to call for the end of the Common Wealth.
I thought black people were her subjects in UK.
Everyone with British nationality is a “subject”.
Dickie loves to brag that he was the Queens private secretary. He was her private secretary during Diana’s death and we all know how badly that was handled. The Queen got SO much bad press and they were wanting the monarchy to end. So, this man clearly doesn’t know what he is talking about. He has hated Meghan from day 1. He swore Harry wouldn’t marry her and when they got engaged he swore she wouldn’t get a title. He is an old bitter man and no one should ever take him seriously. Meghan can talk about whatever she wants to. She is no longer representing the Queen. BLM is not a political issue, we all know that.
Thank you Ginger. I watched the the movie The Queen this weekend, and I remember Diana’s death clearly. Liz wouldn’t listen to Charles so he had to get Tony Blair to convince her that Diana’s death and funeral was not just a ‘private affair’. She was so tone deaf and I am sure Dickie was at her side telling her she was completely correct.
Our president makes everything political including wearing masks.
I love how so many comentators and media talk about the Queen never putting a foot wrong and how she has lived through all of these tough spots and made the touch decisions, and lasted, etc. But then, when you look at all of these events, you realize she either made the worst decisions until she couldn’t anymore, or someone else had to talk her into the less terrible decisions she ended up with.
I half watched it this morning and will watch it in full tomorrow. There is much truth in fiction, and presenting it as such avoids lawsuits. This film speaks to truth. The queen lives life in a bubble devoid of the real world. I remember Diana’s death, the funeral and her brothers speech. Excellent film as a historical reference.
you guys, are you seeing the blockkatiehopkins trending on twitter??? hahahah omg I’m having a blast. sorry for stealing the subject but it’s brilliant.
She thrives on attention – the best thing to do is just to block her and ignore.
Watching how #BLM has galvanised the world has been incredible. Kaiser, You’re right, it feels like a real moment the world over.
I’m just scared about the progress it might make in Australia and UK though… the 2 nations don’t even think that they have a problem 🤦🏾♀️
So true regarding the UK. When you have a senior gov. minister saying (paraphrashing) “what were seeing here in the UK is due to whats happening in the USA and not because we have any problems”, well that shows you how out of touch these feckers in the cabinet are. Thank you Matt Hancock for that gem of a statement.
Did you see him get absolutely grilled about the lack of Black people in BJ’s Cabinet? He cast around for an explanation for ages, tried unsuccessfully to pass off Asian members as Blacks, and finally came up with, “really most important is…we have diversity of thought”. LOL. That’s totally the same. Unbelievable.
and for starters we in Aus should do away with the queens birthday honours. How and why should it be seen as an honour to receive a gong from a racist old woman who provides safe harbour to an alleged rapist? Honour my ass.
Agree. And when you see Tony Abbott ‘honoured’ – he who was the catalyst for Julia Gillards misogynist speech- words fail me. No birthday honours, and no monarchy. And yes, Scott Morrison might not think we have a problem with racism, but all those thousands who protested on the weekend know differently.
Honestly, the Royal families ponderings on what is and isn’t political is ridiculous. I can understand them not coming out in support of politicians or policies, but the previous debate about whether or not her previous speeches were too “feminist” was ridiculous as is this. Meanwhile, William can weigh in on racism and Charles on climate change without a peep – those are all things I would put on the same level of “politics.” None of them should be a political issue, but they are often seen that way.
Let’s be real, Charles got shit on for decades with the climate change thing. The man started with it in the 70s, along with his concerns about the chemical load of Western produce. The last…, erm, twenty years or so? Yeah, 20ish years, they’ve just decided to stick with ‘kook’ instead of the ‘political’ bull when denigrating Charles’s work with climate change because they got tired of actually putting any effort into it.
The Queen doesn’t need to speak? Of course not. She wants to continue to rule over black and brown people in the UK and Commonwealth but can’t show compassion for black and brown lives lost to violence and prejudice. Then she will pass on her position to Charles, who can urge the nation to pick fruit but can’t urge the nation to uphold equality. Then he will pass his position on to William, who can call psychics to his home to channel spirits but can’t call black and brown young leaders to support their campaign for change.
I love how the British media want to use Meghan’s words to let the rest of the royals piggyback off of whilst excusing them for saying nothing because it’s “too political”. I am glad she is out of the UK and off the royal plantation.
Of course BLM is political. Everything is political if you think about it. You change things through politics. But for some reason “political” has become a trigger word that means people shouldn’t talk about it, especially the royals. What’s their purpose if they cant even say Black Lives Matter?
(the reason I think we haven’t heard anything from the royal family about this has nothing to do with whether it is “political,” its because the queen et al are probably scratching their heads saying “well, what more do ‘they’ want?”)
It’s political because Black people are political. Our existence is political. Our very presence in nonwhite spaces is political because it highlights how much has been done to undermine us, deny us humanity, oppress us, call us less than, dehumanize us. To see a black person in a position of power, in leadership, being successful in any way, is to acknowledge that this success happened IN SPITE OF white people saying it wasn’t possible–black people are’t smart enough/talented enough/beautiful enough/whatever enough. When your very existence is political, that casts a new context on anything you say about any subject. That’s why Michelle Obama’s healthy lunch campaign is political but Melania Trump’s joke of an anti bully campaign is not. It’s why Camilla can talk about survivors of sexual violence but Meghan is viewed a “political” if she does.
Excellent comment.
Remember when the media said Meghan “politicised” her wedding by having a black speaker and black choir? And comments said her wedding was “too PC”? Just the very existence and presence of black people in what they think should be a whites-only space is political to them. Like a half-black woman can’t have black people at her wedding without it being a political statement.
People who hate Meghan were looking for any reason to scream ‘Meghan made it political’. The gospel choir was Charles’s choice, and the minister is the head of the Anglican-equivalent church in the US. He would be expected to speak at the royal wedding of a US citizen to a member of the BRF. The young chelo player *was* the choice of Harry and Meghan.
I’ve never understood the argument that the UK can’t be racist because they didn’t have slavery. Britain literally brought slavery to America and the Caribbean. We have have a legacy of slavery because of the English. Now all of a sudden they had nothing to do with it?
It hasn’t been “all of a sudden” – there has been a very deliberate minimisation/ eradication of Britain’s part in slavery and the brutality of the Empire in the education system… and the ignorance really shows.
Yesterday, during a BLM protest in Bristol, a statue of a slave trader was torn down and thrown into a river. Turns out there’s been calls over decades to remove the statue and now things are getting done and this whole new conversation has blown up about revering historical figures involved in the slave trade e.g. statues, streets and buildings named after them.
And up till 2015, British taxpayers were still paying off ‘compensation’ to the descendants of slave owners for their loss of ‘property’.
I have learnt more about Britain’s part in the slave trade in the last few days than I ever have at school.
And just to add to your point, those British taxpayers included British people of Caribbean descent, so descendants of slaves were paying off the compensation to those slave owners. If that isn’t evil, I don’t know what is.
@jt. Thanks for saying this. The British Empire colonized and euthanized many people. I can’t believe people are touting the commonwealth as an example of non racism. All of the countries are where these atrocities took place. The Empire did not bring it home so pretended it did not exist. The uk really has no right to pretend it is not racist and did not profit from the lives of others
I’ve seen the “well Britain doesn’t have the same connection to slavery” argument in some of the comments here, on social media, on British TV, and I’m thinking you all know your history? It’s ridiculous. The problems that we face here is the US are directly from British colonialism. The only difference is we aren’t afraid to talk about it. We don’t pretend that it didn’t happen. Some will try to forget, but the American people acknowledge out past.
Exactly. And let’s not forget where all of the jewels came from in the first place!
These people have skated by forever, and now the colonial pigeons are coming home to roost.
I had some downtime recently and stumbled across a copy of Kitty Kelley’s exhaustively researched book, “The Royals” from back in the ’90s. It’s quite the read!
It starts when they changed the name to Windsor but looks back from there for context, and ends with the divorce of Diana and Charles. Came out in the ’90s.
My hosts had the hardcover version which is a 500+ page chonk – though, very diverting and scandalous! A fun read. If you’re really into it, I’d suggest getting it in digital form if possible so you can do searches. 🙂 Kitty brings the tea!
Bullocks! The three legged slave trade with North America/ Caribbean was started and financed by Britain. People in power in West Africa, the Americas and Britain all benefitted and became wealthy. British ships set sail from English ports for West Africa loaded with goods to sell and trade for slaves. They then loaded the ships with slaves and sailed for the Americas from cities in West Africa (Ghana is one country that has formally apologized). When the slaves were off loaded and sold in the Americas the ships then picked up goods and commodities from the Americas and sailed for England. It wasn’t just Britain and the American colonies/Caribbean colonies. Othercountries in Western Europe/ Mediterranean saw the profits and jumped into the hellish trade. I am not aware of any estimates for the number of Africans sold into slavery in both north and South America during these centuries but it must be enormous. And horrendous.
@JTm I ever understood this trying to minimize British slavery. Like you said, it was brought to British North America. Between 1619 and 1776, slavery was codified and formalized, the United States was part of a Britain and the Caribbean certainly had it. The cotton mills in the UKs industrial revolution was powered by cotton picked by American slaves. There was no Freedmans bureau, 40 acres and a mule or building of schools in the Caribbean after slavery ended. They paid reparations to compensate the former slave owners and in a lot of Caribbean countries, the majority black populations did not get full voting rights and access to secondary education until well after WWII. It’s ridiculous how they try to reframe this history.
And as if the colonization of Africa and apartheid systems implemented from Kenya to Zimbabwe was less racist than slavery… Or as if the indentured servitude of Indian laborers that replaced slavery in the Caribbean on plantations and elsewhere was free of racism either?!
I agree, JT. If anyone thinks there’s no racism in the U.K. (or if you just haven’t seen it) watch John Boyega’s speech. It’s incredibly powerful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGXEB25WdyQ
Now you see the REAL reason Harry wanted OUT so that he and his family could navigate their OWN destiny…PERIOD!
It’s important to remember that while Harry and Meghan decided to “move on” they still directly benefit from the same out-dated, racist institution as the rest of the royal family.
As does anyone who lives in the UK.
So everyone in the UK benefits millions per year solely based on the fact that their power hungry, slave owning ancestors managed to get themselves declared kings? You’re absolutely right @Bella, we are all just running around cutting ribbons and doing “charity” and then get to live rent free in public owned palaces. It’s one big party here let me tell you. What a nauseously ignorant comment.
Right, but that is exactly the opposite of what Harry & Meghan are doing.
They’re getting off the royal dole. They are not living for free in publicly “owned” palaces.
I get that you’re mad, but the ones you should be blaming are the rest of them. H&M purposely broke away from that.
@penguin. I don’t think Bella was implying everyone in the UK lives like a royal, but we can’t ignore that historically the British Empire became a world powerhouse on the backs of others. To some degree that privilege trickles down to today. London is still a financial centre. That would probably not be the case except for the historical run off from the Empire.
@lizzieb that case can be made for any person anywhere. Every country in the world has some historical legacy of imperialism. And within that empire existed slavery, inequality and a whole host of injustices. The fact is that Harry and Meghan are just as dependant on the continuation of the British monarchy as the rest of them. Even if they achieve financial independence from Charles, the legitimacy of their celebrity is firmly based on the very institution in question. My point wasn’t to denounce white or Western priviledge, but to point out the hypocrisy of the argument that they’re somehow separate.
@Penguin: Save your ire for the members of the royal family who are actively avoiding work and only mention racism in a passing fatuous statement that says nothing because “oh it’s political, we can’t touch that hot potato”.
It is clear Meghan and Harry do not benefit from that system, and the system is used to embiggen others while beating Harry and Meghan down.
Nota,
They benefit from the system. They are known because of the system. They are as wealthy as they are because of the system. They have the influence they do because of the system. They’ve been royally f*cked by the system but they also will forever greatly benefit off it. It’s a dialectic but it is real.
To imply that the Sussexes are not in a position of extreme privilege is to deny reality. Recognizing these aspects as true does not excuse the rest of the BRF nor does it mean the rest of the royals don’t profit off it/profit off it more than the Sussexes, rather it is an acknowledgment of one little piece of an incredibly giant, messy, antiquated puzzle. If it were not for a perversion of humanity and history we would not even be discussing any these people, and the world would be a better place if that were so.
I have no ire towards Meghan or Harry. I wish them nothing but the best nor do I expect them to live like paupers in order to prove a point. But, in my own opinion, it’s all fruit from the same privileged tree.
Look I get your point but to ignore 500 years of history and the benefits of this system because you don’t live in a palace is disingenuous. The wealth of Britain, whether individual or collective, the very fact that it is a global empire is because of slavery and colonialism. It fueled not only colonialism but industrial expansion as well. People were literal capital used to build wealth. Black people were one’s retirement funds and insurance policies. This is true of U.K., France, Spain. Portugal, Holland, Denmark, lots of countries to varying degrees. While countries like the UK rail against immigration from these former colonies they had no problem occupying, they still use the brain trust and labor of these countries to this day, and these countries have not recovered from these legacies. This is not a benefit just to the elites and those in charge. To recognize and acknowledge is not to carry the guilt of the past.
Like others I’m so pleased this has gone global. I comment on my FB page and we’re so supportive. Perfect venue for H&M, personal experience, (I know how you feel), warmth, compassion, understanding.
As an American of Indian descent who spent some of my formative years in England, the Brits definitely have their own problems with racism. Not to derail the discussion, as I think the BLM movement has just as far to go there as it does in the States, although I will leave that for my fellow POCs of British African descent to comment on.
IMO the Яoyal Fake-mily can’t really comment on BLM because they’ve basically shown their disregard and true feelings that “Black Lives DON’T Matter” with their ill treatment of Meghan, Archie & Harry’s Lives!
POC here that used to live in London. So happy to see on this site the gaslighting being called out in the UK. So many times i had white people tell me “we don’t have that problem here” and “we don’t see color” or “We’re over racism.” Yet, when a POC actually tries to call out racism they get told their feelings aren’t real and valid. Yet I saw way more horrible racial incidents than I did in US (i get this is anecdotal). Both countries have huge issues with racism but at least in the US, people are willing to talk about it and call it out, as we’ve seen this past week. So it’s good to see that the UK some action is being taken by people. But oh so frustrating to see the media, politicans trying to gaslight.
If you look at tabloid online comments, or certain people’s tweets, you get a skewed idea of public opinion. It’s like listening to Fox News and assuming that is typical of all US broadcast media.
According to a You.gov poll taken over the weekend, 94% of Brits think that Britain is fairly or very racist. So please remember that before you insist that we deny our racism. Almost all the comments and tweets I’ve been reading have been cheering the toppling of the Colston statue and hailing it as long overdue.
People are horribly undereducated about colonialism and slavery, but I think that might change from now. I hope, anyway.
you’re not helping. how is it that a racist prime minister was elected handily? how is that people are only JUST now starting to discuss the effects of colonialism on a wider scale? they’re protesting systematic racism and there’s plenty of stats to prove that is has a real effect on POC in britain. as people have been saying here, don’t get defensive. listen and learn.
No one is discussing it JUST NOW. There are classes taught on the effects of British colonialism at university. Also, the election of BJ is as much of a reflection on the British public as the election of Trump is on the US one. There are people fervently opposed to the current UK government and there are racist, xenophobic supporters. One doesnt negate the existence of the other.
@penguin at university only? there’s a fair amount of people that don’t go to university in the UK. we learn about slavery here in middle school and high school. My spouse is british and i used to live there, A LOT of people still think the empire was a good thing and explain it away with “we built their roads.” and not denying the US is racist, obv we have a big problem but what people and what kaiser are saying is that people in the UK try to deny their atrocious history and make it “an american problem”
@lala456 As education is free and available for all in the UK I can safely assure you that more people enjoy access to higher education than in the US. Children at primary level also learn about slavery in the UK and the British empire. I’m not denying the fact that racism continues to exist in the UK, I’m just taking issue with the sweeping statements you are making. If I were to base my opinion of the US solely based on Trump, what kind of a picture would that paint of American society?
@penguin sweeping statements is exactly the problem. And brits are infamous for making these about americans. if you were to say that trump reflects how much racism is in the US…that would be accurate! the difference is it’s being recognized and talked about. and are you even british? higher education is not free there. And more people go to college in the US vs UK because it’s seen as more necessary for a job whereas people in the UK start work earlier. and just stop with trying to justify or excuse how little racism is recognized in the UK. you are proving everyone’s point.
and let me make a guess….you’re white. I wish white people would stop trying to be the authority on how racist a country is or isn’t. You don’t get to say, you just don’t know so stop
Try again penguin. Only 32 percent of adults in the UK have a university degree, while 40 percent of adults in US have one (and paid through the nose, mortgaged their futures, and children’s futures to get one).
I read a blind item, which I know is trash. But it said that she will be working with Oprah and Serena on a docu project about black women. I hope it’s true. And most of the blinds have a kernel of truth to them wrapped in right wing trash taking. How it happens is they find out that there is a project coming up and then they wrote a blind item making it sound as negative as possible. The particular one said that it’s not the topic she wanted her platform to be about, but she felt pressured because her star power wasn’t taking off like she thought and the powerful lady supporting her threatened to cut her off if she didn’t. It’s all such bull, but I do believe they are collaborating (willingly and gladly).
I remember they also had the scoop about the bots on Instagram, but never revealed the blind once it came out that it was KP who had the bots.
If you got it from Blind Gossip then it’s trash. They get their blinds straight from Megxit trolls on twitter and tumblr. I don’t know who took over that site but they have gone full MAGA.
Oh, I know it’s trash. But generally with Meghan, it’s used to poison her good deeds. They will have the “scoop” on a project (like the Disney deal) and surround it with absolute trash and make her looks as conniving and gold digging as possible. That way when it’s released, people take the rest of what the blind said as Gospel. So there’s a possibility that there is a project in the works. They were fairly specific. And they want people to think the worst of her when it comes out (she didn’t want to speak on the subject, Oprah and her rich friends are gonna drop her because she’s useless if she doesn’t join , etc)
If you know it is trash, why are you posting it and giving it attention?
Because my point was that I do believe there is a BLM project In the works for her.
How amazing would it be if Meghan get’s into politics, rises up the ranks and becomes the US president one day? Willy would explode.
Or if Archie did?
One has to be a natural born citizen to qualify for presidential office. Not sure that applies to Archie since although his mother is a US citizen, he was born in the UK, and not on a military base or any facility considered US territory. Maybe a constitutional expert can clarify. As for Meghan running for office, let’s just let them get set up in whatever they have planned for now and not worry about that job. That would involve all kinds of complications as well.
@l4frimarie Ted Cruz ran for president, despite being born in Canada (to an American mother) and not on an American base.
Nah, you have to be a ‘special’ kind of person to go into politics and unless Meghan is the world’s greatest actor ever she is not that kind of person lmao
I saw the protests in London and they are Trump level. These RRs are afraid some of the protests may start bringing Meghan into this and how they treated her.
Why is being anti-racist a political stance? It’s a humanitarian issue, not a political one. This reminds me of when Kate couldn’t wear black to support #metoo cause it was too political. Yeah, rape and harassment are political. 🙄
The UK is racist. I’ve experienced it as a POC. The UK exported racism and colorism to all corners of their empire – you know the one that the sun never sets on. I’m glad the statue in Bristol tripped and fell into the river this weekend. Someone on twitter had the audacity to say that the statue was there as a reminder on how bad slavery was. Yes, that’s why there’s so many statues of Hitler around Europe or Osama in NYC – to remind people of how bad they were.
Matt Hancock said it was ok that there was no Black people in Boris Johnson‘S cabinet because they had diversity of thought. Oh please.
A couple years back, I got into an argument with my cousin’s husband, who’s is British-French. He said that there wasn’t racism in Europe like there is in the US. I was like racism and xenophobia exist in the UK and France just as much as the US. White brits treats Polish people like how white Americans treat Mexicans. Brexit was xenophobic and racist. Windrush scandal is another example. Until 2015, taxpayers were still paying slave owners to compensate them for their loss of “human property.” Can you even imagine being a Black Brit and having your taxes going towards reparations for slave owners. Slaves never got reparations, but slave owners did. And lastly look at how the British Media treated Meghan Markle. I don’t see how anyone can say the UK isn’t racist.
one of the posters above maybe on to something-some in Britian are afraid the blm will bring up the racist/sexist garbage they threw at Meghan from 2016-2020. I have read many anti-Meghan threads stating their purpose was to run her off at all costs. Meaning being a racist bully gets the job done then so be it. When Harry and Meghan stated how they felt at the end of their African tour-no way Meghan feels this subject she can’t talk about-she told people over in Africa she is a woman of color-blind item is trying to stir up things that tries to make Meghan look like she not proud of who she is. If she wasn’t aware of her color we would have never seen her mother at anything involving the Sussexes. Take one look at her mom-nobody has to question what her racial make-up is. I noticed that Archie’s eyes are shaped just like Meghan’s