Black public figures sympathize with Meghan after Oprah interview | News from the United States and Canada

Several high profile personalities and thousands of social media users have supported the UK Duchess of Sussex following her resounding interview with US media personality Oprah Winfrey, as they denounced the ” cruelty ”of which she was allegedly a victim by the British. royal family and parts of the UK media.
The long-awaited interview, which aired in the United States on Sunday, was the first for Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry since they stepped down from royal duties a year ago.
The two-hour special included explosive revelations that could reverberate across both sides of the Atlantic, with the couple describing controversial talks in the palace over their son Archie’s skin color, loss of royal protection and the intense pressures that led the Duchess of Sussex to consider suicide.
It quickly gained mass attention on Twitter, where several prominent public figures have endorsed Meghan, a biracial actress whose mother is black and father is white, for speaking out on the alleged discrimination she has. suffered after her marriage to the royal family in 2018.
Meghan’s close friend Serena Williams, the American tennis star, said she understands the “pain and cruelty” Meghan has suffered.
Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam titles, said Meghan taught him ‘what it means to be truly noble’.
“I know firsthand the sexism and racism that institutions and media use to defame women and people of color to belittle us, to break us down and demonize us,” Williams tweeted.
“The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and too often deadly.”
– Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) March 8, 2021
American TV host Nina Parker tweeted: ‘You know why black women believe Meghan? Because we know exactly what microaggressions look like. And how they slowly drive you crazy.
Do you know why black women believe Meghan? Because we know exactly what microaggressions look like. And how they slowly drive you crazy. #OprahMeghanHarry
– Nina Parker (@MzGossipGirl) March 8, 2021
Others said Meghan and Harry’s removal from royal duties symbolized the ‘cost of racism’ to the country.
“Losing them… was a missed opportunity to deal [with] the legacy of slavery and colonialism and having a modern charismatic royal to boot, ”tweeted US author Heather McGhee.
I usually write here about the economic costs of racism to Americans, but today I introduce myself as Varsity Team Sussex. Losing them was a cost of racism for the UK, a missed chance to face the legacies of slavery and colonialism and have a charismatic modern royal to boot. SMH. pic.twitter.com/3TB23oMmDv
– Heather McGhee (@hmcghee) March 3, 2021
American poet Amanda Gorman, congratulated on her performance at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, tweeted: “This is not the happy ending for Princess Meghan. But sometimes the change, the decisions that hurt us the most, aren’t about happiness, it’s about healing.
“It’s unclear if this will change the Royal Family, but Meghan’s strength will definitely redefine family everywhere,” she added. “Think about the women who will be inspired to stand up for their lives, the partners who will be kinder and braver than the parents they were born into.”
This is not Meghan’s Princess ‘happy’ ending. But sometimes the change, the decisions that hurt us the most, aren’t about happiness, it’s about healing.
– Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) March 8, 2021
Bernice King, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s daughter, said Meghan’s experience showed that “royalty is not a shield against the devastation and despair of racism”, adding that such discrimination was ” traumatic threat to the mental, physical and economic well-being of millions of people. and millions of people ”.
“It’s not a difference of opinion. It is not an illusion of the “awake”. It is a pervasive evil. Let’s decolonize our minds, ”she tweeted.
Racism is a traumatic threat to the mental, physical and economic well-being of millions and millions of people.
It is not a difference of opinion.
It is not an illusion of the “awake”.
It is a pervasive evil.
Let’s decolonize our minds.
– Be a king (@BerniceKing) March 8, 2021
Booker-nominated author Maaza Mengiste said Meghan’s expressions showed ‘trauma’.
What Meghan’s expressions show is trauma. She has been traumatized and has no real vocabulary – yet – to understand what happened to her. It’s racism, yes. It’s classism, yes. It’s also something as deep and as dark as those and as old as the royal family.
– Maaza Mengiste (@MaazaMengiste) March 8, 2021
During the interview, Meghan said she didn’t realize what she got married into when she joined the British monarchy and ‘entered it naively’.
Critics of the couple say they wanted the limelight of royal life but were unwilling to live with the attention it was giving.
But for supporters, their alleged treatment is proof of an outdated British institution.
This is what institutionalized bullying and racism looks like.
50 – yes, fifty – articles attacking Meghan Merkle were posted yesterday on the Express site. That’s * 50 * items in * 24 * hours.
One title in particular (highlighted below) deserves special attention. pic.twitter.com/UotSb9xjWM
– Edwin Hayward 🦄 🗡 (@uk_domain_names) March 5, 2021