Meghan Markle Speaks Out In Support Of Black Lives Matter: “The Only Wrong Thing To Say Is To Say Nothing”

Meghan Markle has added her voice to the chorus of people calling for justice following the killing of George Floyd. The former senior royal gave a virtual graduation speech to her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, and in it called for the graduating class to use their education and voices to further the Black Lives Matter movement. Markle, who herself was subject to racist headlines during her time with the royal family, previously had to remain somewhat silent about political issues due to her royal stature. Now that she and husband Prince Harry have stepped back from their duties as senior royals and moved to Los Angeles with their son, Archie, she can speak freely, and told the 2020 class that "the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing."

Markle was initially anxious about getting political in her speech.

"I wanted to say the right thing," she said in the video. "And I was really nervous that I wouldn’t, or that it would get picked apart."

However, knowing the power that her voice could have, she reflected on her own experience with protests and demonstrations, specifically the Los Angeles demonstrations following the beating of Rodney King by police officers in 1992.

"I remember the curfew and I remember rushing back home and on that drive home, seeing ash fall from the sky and smelling the smoke and seeing the smoke billow out of buildings," she said. "I remember seeing men in the back of a van just holding guns and rifles. I remember pulling up to the house and seeing the tree that had always been there, completely charred. And those memories don’t go away."

While Markle apologised for the fact that her generation didn't do enough to stop these protests from being necessary today, she expressed hope for the emerging generation's power to continue the fight.

"We are going to rebuild, and rebuild, and rebuild until it is rebuilt," she said, later adding, "You are going to lead with love, you are going to lead with compassion, you are going to use your voice."

This previously rare political statement felt necessary to Markle because it's "something incredibly personal" to her, a spokesperson told journalist Omid Scobie.

Watch the full speech below.