Meghan Markle Breaks Silence On George Floyd's Death: 'Absolutely Devastating'
After dropping her royal duties and being away from the spotlight for some time, Meghan Markle is now using her platform and influence to take a stand on the brutal murder of George Floyd and openly joins the "Black Lives Matter" movement.
As a prominent personality with a black background, many people are waiting for the Duchess of Sussex to speak up on the said issue. During a virtual graduation ceremony for an all-girls school, the 38-year-old former "Suits" actress has opened up about how she felt on Floyd's killing, which she referred to as an "absolutely devastating" incident.
Through a virtual speech for her former high school, Immaculate Heart High School, in Los Angeles, Meghan said that she had been contemplating on what to tell the graduating class as she wanted to make sure she said the right thing.
The Duchess confessed to being nervous about uttering words that other people might wrongly pick up.
"Then I realize, the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing," Meghan said, adding that George Floyd's life mattered.
Meghan, whose mother Doria Ragland is black, enumerated the names of other black people who suffered a tragic death in the United States. She also acknowledged that the lives of many others who were unnamed also matter.
The Duchess of Sussex then apologized to the class of 2020 for having to experience this kind of world where racism still exists.
"I'm so sorry that you have to grow up in a world where this is still present," Meghan said.
The mother-of-one then shared her experience back in 1992 when a Los Angeles riot broke out after yet another "senseless act of racism." Being around 11- or 12-years-old, she recalled rushing home during curfew hours and seeing armed men, people running from looting, ash falling from the sky, smoke smelling, and a tree in front of her house "completely charred."
"Those memories don't go away, and I can't imagine 17 or 18 years old, which how old you are now, that you would have to have a different version of that same type of experience," Meghan continued.
She then encouraged the students that these events should be understood as a history lesson and not a reality of life.
"So I'm sorry that in a way we have not gotten the world into the place that you deserve it to be," she added.
Aside from the bad memories, Meghan recalled witnessing how people unite to fight against racism, which she said is also happening right now.
After which, she encouraged the graduating students to use their learnings in school to take part in the change to rebuild a better community.
"I know you know that Black Lives Matter," Meghan said. "Please know that I am cheering you on all along the way."
Meghan's powerful message came after several social media users questioned why she and Prince Harry were silent on the issue and were not using their influence to take a stand.
