Meghan has been mistreated for years – but her interview still shocked me
Istayed up late to watch the Oprah interview. As I watched it, I thought: “Lord, give me strength!” Like me, Meghan is independent, well educated, career-minded. Like me, she is a woman of Black heritage. I felt her pain. It was very difficult to listen to Harry and Meghan’s story and not feel sorry for them, because I believed what they were saying.
What really got to me was hearing that an unnamed member of the royal family had expressed concern about how dark Archie’s skin would be – while Meghan was still pregnant. I can’t remember what time in the morning it was, but I jumped out of bed in rage. Who in their right mind thinks that is an acceptable conversation to have with someone? What kind of family thinks whether Archie is darker is a concern? Will he be loved less, compared with his cousins? That was shocking.
That alarm about Archie’s skin colour shows the continued way in which Black people are dehumanised. That is what is driving the concern about Archie being darker. The stigma that comes from proximity to Blackness has followed Archie into this world.
Up until now, we have had only one side of the story: the palace’s version. This was the first time Meghan and Harry were able to tell their story. I think it was necessary. People feel like they have to take sides. But you can still support and respect the Queen and call out the royal family if they have done something wrong. What is 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. That doesn’t mean they are all 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 kinds of racism, because it is so pervasive, but you are told you are overly sensitive or making
things up. It is a form of gaslighting.
I cannot believe that we are still having this debate about whether the way that Meghan has been treated is racist. It is misogynoir, pure and simple. Look at the media coverage of her. The Daily Mail said that she was “(almost) straight outta Compton”. A BBC broadcaster tweeted a picture of Archie as a chimpanzee (for which he was fired).
That tells you what kind of society we live in.
Listening to Meghan talk about how she was suicidal when pregnant with Archie, what was so upsetting was seeing how the institution that had the ability to protect her did nothing. They allowed the media to assassinate her character and they stayed silent. Compare the treatment of Meghan and Prince Andrew, who was accused of having sex with a teenaged trafficking victim – which he denies – and seems to gets 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 rich people don’t also kill themselves or experience depression.
I have been speaking up for Meghan on TV and in the press for years. I don’t need to have met her to know that the way she has been treated is wrong. The morning after the interview aired, I went on Good Morning Britain and let Piers Morgan know what I thought of him for the way he criticised Meghan. I told him he was a disappointment. I am glad I said it; he was asking for it and I had had two hours’ sleep.
The bottom line is that the way Meghan has been treated is unjust. She has been attacked for things she hasn’t said. She has been compared unfavourably with the Duchess of Cambridge. She has been subjected to the worst kind of racism. I can’t be quiet when I see something is wrong. Inequality and injustice trigger me. I refuse to be silent.
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu is an activist and the author of This Is Why I Resist: Don’t Define My Black Identity. She was speaking to Sirin Kale