I I stayed up late to watch Oprah’s interview. As I watched, I thought, “Lord, give me strength!” Like me, Meghan is independent, well-mannered and career-oriented. Like me, she is a woman of black descent. I felt your pain. It was very difficult to hear the story of Harry and Meghan and not feel sorry for them, because I believed what they said.
It was the comments about Archie’s skin color that really touched me – that an unidentified member of the royal family expressed concern about how dark Archie’s skin would be – when Meghan was still pregnant. I don’t remember what time it was, but I jumped out of bed in anger. Who in their right mind thinks this is an acceptable conversation to have with someone? What kind of family do you think the fact that Archie is darker is a concern? Will he be less loved compared to his cousins? That was shocking.
This alarm about Archie’s skin color shows the continuing way blacks are dehumanized. This is what is causing Archie’s concern to be darker. The stigma that comes from being close to darkness has accompanied Archie to this world.
So far, we have had only one side of the story: the palace version. This was the first time that Meghan and Harry were able to tell their story. I think it was necessary. People feel that they need to take sides. But you can still support and respect the queen and call the royal family if she did something wrong. What’s up with this blind adulation for them, no matter how they behave? The royal family as an institution has a legacy that is rooted in slavery, colonialism and racism. This does not mean that everyone is racist – but they have a lot of work to do.
As a black woman, I am so used to all the nuances of racism that vary from person to person. There is obvious racism, but there is also a more subtle form of racism, which can best be described as a form of white violence. It is one of the worst types of racism, because it is very widespread, but they say that you are overly sensitive or are making things up. It is a form of gas lighting.
‘You’re disgusting’ … Shola Mos-Shogbamimu on Good Morning Britain.
I cannot believe that we are still having this debate about whether the way Meghan was treated is racist. It is misogynoir, pure and simple. See media coverage about it. The Daily Mail said she was “(almost) totally out of Compton”. A BBC broadcaster tweeted a photo of Archie as a chimpanzee (for which he was fired). This shows what kind of society we live in.
Hearing Meghan talk about how she committed suicide during Archie’s pregnancy, what was so disturbing was seeing how the institution that had the ability to protect her did nothing. They allowed the media to assassinate their character and they remained silent. Compare the treatment of Meghan and Prince Andrew, who was accused of having sex with a trafficked teenage girl – which he denies – and seems to get constant support from the palace. Meghan may have been a “princess”, but there is no point living in a palace if you feel like a prisoner. Let’s not pretend that the rich don’t kill themselves or suffer from depression, either.
I have been speaking on behalf of Meghan on TV and in the press for years. I don’t need to know her to know that the way she was treated is wrong. The morning after the interview aired, I went to Good Morning Britain and told Piers Morgan what I thought of him for the way he criticized Meghan. I told him that he was a disappointment. I am happy to have said that; he was asking and i slept two hours.
The end result is that the way Meghan was treated is unfair. She was attacked for things she did not say. She was compared unfavorably to the Duchess of Cambridge. She was subjected to the worst kind of racism. I can’t be quiet when I see that something is wrong. Inequality and injustice trigger me. I refuse to be silent.
Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu is an activist and author of It’s Why I Resist: Don’t Define My Black Identity. She was talking to Sirin Kale