Meghan Markle’s recent essay in Elle UK struck a chord with many people — mainly the ones who have some kind of fixation on her race.
“To describe something as being black and white means it is clearly defined,” Prince Harry’s girlfriend wrote.
“Yet when your ethnicity is black and white, the dichotomy is not that clear. In fact, it creates a grey area. “
Markle wrote, “Being biracial paints a blurred line that is equal parts staggering and illuminating,” and revealed that her parents — a black mother and a white father — tried to make her childhood fit in “the box” as much as possible.
She also recounted a time when she was in school, and had to choose her ethnicity by checking off a box during standardized testing.
Markle ultimately left it blank — that’s how deep this gorgeous, intelligent woman goes.
“[My father] wanted me to see beyond that census placed in front of me,” she said.
“He wanted me to find my own truth.”
Which is, of course, precisely what she did, haters notwithstanding.
Explaining her experience in Hollywood by not being “black enough” for black roles, and not “white enough” for white roles left Markle with a very limited repertoire.
Her hard-won role in Suits changed everything, however, when she was cast as Rachel Zane — a character who was racially ambiguous.
“The show’s producers weren’t looking for someone mixed, nor someone white or black for that matter,” she said.
“They were simply looking for Rachel. In making a choice like that, the Suits producers helped shift the way pop culture defines beauty.”
She continued, “To say who I am, to share where I’m from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman,” it makes her proud.
Markle concluded, tracing back her American roots and discussing her ancestry.
“You create the identity you want for yourself, just as my ancestors did when they were given their freedom,” she admitted.
“When slavery was abolished in the United States, former slaves had to choose a name.”
“Perhaps the closest thing to connecting me to my ever-complex family tree, my longing to know where I come from, and the commonality that links me to my bloodline, is the choice that my great-great-great grandfather made to start anew,” Markle said.
“He chose the last name Wisdom. He drew his own box.”
So, uh, are we looking at the next Princess or Duchess or whatever she’d be if Prince Harry were smart enough to marry up this amazing woman?
We surely hope so friends.
We surely hope.