Upland, CA — Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, sat down with Oprah Winfrey to share personal reflections of their life and time in the British royal family. The interview attracted millions of viewers in the United States and sent a tidal wave of controversy across the pond. The candid questions asked by the queen of television (Oprah) were direct and thought provoking. What caught my attention was the revelation that Meghan never truly felt comfortable in the royal family. Despite living a life of privilege and prestige, even she could not avoid the ugliness and unfairness of being judged because of the color of her skin. The most revealing and frightening moment of the interview was the concern of a member of the royal family with the complexion of her unborn child.
A rarely mentioned historical fact is that England has had two queens that were considered “Black” or of Moorish ancestry. The first was Philippa of Hainault and the second was Charlotte of Mecklenburg. The queen in the Netflix show Bridgerton, created by Shonda Rhimes, is based on Queen Charlotte. The unpleasant history of British colonialism, classism and structural racism may have had its roots with the colonization of countries of color like India, Africa, Asia, North America, Australia, and the British West Indies. Prince Harry noted that the press attacks on his wife had “colonial undertones.” In 2018, Prince Charles denounced Britain’s role in the slave trade as an “atrocity” and the calls for the Queen to apologize on behalf of the monarchy have been ignored.
It’s unfortunate that young Prince Archie will grow up with the possibility of being racially mixed up because he is racially mixed. One day he will ask his mother and father “what color am I?” Well young Prince take it from me, one who has a Black father and a white mother, who lived her young life being too dark for the whites and too light for the Blacks…. you are Black.
There is something called the “one-drop rule” which asserted that any person with even one ancestor of Black ancestry which is the equivalent of “one drop” of Black blood is considered Black. Science tells us that the vast majority of human DNA is 99% identical between individuals. If this scientific truth validates that we have more in common with one another than we have differences, why do we let skin color divide and separate us in such ungodly ways?
My husband often tells me I view the world with rose-colored glasses which at times prevents me from seeing how certain things really are, in some cases he may be right. Although I see the variety of individual differences in sizes, shapes, and facial features of people, I still believe there is only one race…. the human race. God created us all in his image and he is not a respecter of persons. There is only two ways to eradicate racism: one way is to change the world; the other way is to change ourselves. Which one will you choose?
Healing Without Hate: It’s a choice. It’s a lifestyle. Pass it on!
Visit www.WendyGladney.com and www.forgivingforliving.org to learn more. Wendy is a life strategist, coach, consultant, author, and speaker. You can hear her every Wednesday on Instagram Live at 12 noon PST.
