- In 2012 Meghan Markle opened up about the racism she's experienced in a campaign for her Suits network, USA.
- In the video she says she hopes things will have changed by the time she has children.
- Fans brought up the video recently and highlighted it in today's climate amid protests in the US.
A video of Meghan Markle speaking up about the racism she's experienced has just resurfaced as things escalate in the US after the death of George Floyd.
George Floyd was a 46-year-old black man who died while being apprehended by police after an officer pressed his knee against his neck, obstructing his breathing and cutting off blood flow to his brain. Derek Chauvin has since lost his job and has been charged with murder as citizens across the US have taken to the streets in protest, demanding change.
In the video, Meghan joined other stars in 2012 for USA Network's Characters Unite: 'I Won't Stand' campaign and opened up about the close-mindedness she experienced growing up and eventually, travelling, which even included her mother, Doria Ragland being called the n-word, she says.
"For me, I think it hits a really personal note. I'm biracial, most people can't tell what I'm mixed with, so much of my life has felt like being a fly on the wall. And so some of the slurs that I've heard, really offensive jokes, or the names, it's just hit me in a really strong way. A couple of years ago I heard someone call my mom the n-word.
"I think for me, beyond being personally affected by racism," she said, explaining her reasoning for the joining the campaign, "just to see the landscape of what our country is like right now, certainly the world, and to want things to be better."
The 38-year-old goes on to talk about how she's been treated differently because of the colour of her skin, before saying she really saw the "close-mindedness" after leaving her hometown of Los Angeles.
The duchess recently returned to LA where she is staying with Prince Harry and their one-year-old son, Archie, after making the decision to step down as senior members of the royal family after months of media scrutiny.
"I thought that was isolated to those days that are past," she continued in the video, sharing heartbreaking stories of inequality during her upbringing. "Sadly they're not.
"I am really proud of my heritage on both sides. I'm really proud of where I've come from and where I'm going. But yeah, I hope that by the time I have children, that people are even more open-minded to how things are changing."
SEE THE FULL CLIP HERE:
Meghan Markle in 2012 for USA Network’s “Characters Unite ‘I Won’t Stand For____’” campaign.
— BLACKLIVESMATTER (@Jasamgurlie) April 3, 2020
Her’s was racism and it is what I won’t stand for either. pic.twitter.com/Xjy04KON9i
Fans of the duchess praised her for standing up for what she believes in while others highlighted the disheartening reality that things haven't changed since then.
"Yikes," one user wrote. "Let me clarify. When she mentioned the world changing by the time she had kids is yikes. Because it's still the same."