Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, opened up about the events unfolding in USA after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Addressing the graduating batch of her old high-school in Los Angeles through a video message, Meghan apologised to the students for having to experience what should be a ‘history lesson’ as ‘reality’.
“For the past couple of weeks I’ve been planning on saying a few words to you for your graduation and as we've all seen over the last week what is happening in our country, and in our state and in our home town of LA is absolutely devastating,” said Meghan, whose mother is African American and father is white.
The former actor added that she had been thinking about what to say to the graduating batch, fearing that her words would be ‘picked apart’. “The only wrong thing to say is to say nothing,” said Meghan.
“Because George Floyd’s life mattered, and Breonna Taylor’s life mattered, and Philando Castile’s life mattered, and Tamir Rice’s life mattered, and so did so many other people whose names we know and whose names we don’t know.”Meghan Markle
Meghan also reflected on her own experience of the 1992 LA riots and encouraged the graduates to bring a change in the world they’re growing up.
She said, “You are going to use your voice in a stronger way than you have ever been able to, because most of you are 18, or you’re going to turn 18, so you’re going to vote. You are going to have empathy for those who don’t see the world through the same lens that you do — because with as diverse, vibrant and open-minded as I know the teachings at Immaculate Heart are, I know you know that black lives matter.”
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