I left late to watch the Oprah interview. When I looked at it, I thought, ‘Lord, give me strength!’ Like me, Meghan is independent, well-educated, career-oriented. Like me, she’s a woman of black heritage. I felt her pain. It was very hard to listen to Harry and Meghan’s story and not feel sorry for them because I believed what they said.
It was the remarks about the color of Archie’s skin that really got me – that an unnamed member of the royal family had expressed his concern about how dark Archie’s skin would be – when Meghan was still pregnant. I can not remember what time of morning it was, but I jumped out of anger. Who thinks this is an acceptable conversation with someone? What kind of family thinks it’s worrying if Archie is darker? Will he be loved less compared to his cousins? It was shocking.
The alarm over Archie’s skin color shows the ongoing way black people are being dehumanized. This is what makes the concern about Archie darken. The stigma that comes from the closeness of Blackness has followed Archie in this world.
Until now, we have only had one side of the story: the version of the palace. It was the first time Meghan and Harry could tell their story. I think it was necessary. People feel 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 worship for them, no matter how they act? The royal family as an institution has a legacy rooted in slavery, colonialism and racism. That does not 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 differ 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’s one of the worst types of racism, because it’s so pervasive, but you’re being told you’re too sensitive or inventing things. It is a form of gas lighting.
I can not believe we are still having this debate about whether the way Meghan was treated is racist. It is female dog, pure and simple. Look at the media coverage of her. The Daily Mail said she was “(almost) straight from Compton”. A BBC broadcaster tweeted a photo of Archie as a chimpanzee (for which he was fired). It tells you what kind of society we live in.
When I listened to Meghan about what her suicide was like when she was pregnant with Archie, it was so disturbing to see how the institution that has the ability to protect her does nothing. They allowed the media to kill her character and they kept quiet. Compare the treatment of Meghan and Prince Andrew, who are accused of having sex with a teenage trade victim – which he denies – and apparently getting constant support from the palace. Meghan may have been a ‘princess’, but it makes no sense to live in a palace if you feel like a prisoner. Let us not pretend that rich people do not kill themselves or experience depression.
I’ve been talking to Meghan on TV and in the press for years. I do not have to meet her to know that the way she was treated is wrong. The morning after the interview aired, I went to Good Morning Britain and let Piers Morgan know what I think of him for the way he criticized Meghan. I told him he’s a disappointment. I’m glad I said that; he asked for it and I slept for 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 unfavorably compared to the Duchess of Cambridge. She is subjected to the worst kind of racism. I can not be silent when I see that something is wrong. Inequality and injustice cause me. I refuse to be quiet.
Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu is an activist and author of This Is Why I Resist: Don’t Define My Black Identity. She spoke to Sirin Kale