On Wednesday night, Meghan Markle delivered a moving six-minute commencement speech to this year's graduates of Immaculate Heart High School, her former high school. She began her speech by speaking about the death of George Floyd and the ongoing protests that have swept through Los Angeles and the rest of the country.
She noted that she was nervous, because she wasn't sure where to begin:
“What is happening in our country and in our state and in our hometown of L.A. has been absolutely devastating. I wasn’t sure what I could say to you.
"I wanted to say the right thing and I was really nervous that I wouldn't, or that it would get picked apart. And I realized the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing, because George Floyd's life mattered and Breonna Taylor's life mattered and Philando Castile's life mattered and Tamir Rice's life mattered, and so did so many other people whose names we know and whose names we do not know."
She then urged the young students to use their vote and to make it count. "You're going to use your voice in a stronger way than you've ever been able to, because most of you are 18 — or you're going to turn 18 soon — so you're going to vote. You're going to have empathy for those who don't see the world through the same lens that you do."
She also spoke fondly of one of her former teachers, Ms. Pollia, who she says taught her to "always remember to put other's needs above your own fears."
"That has stuck with me throughout my entire life, and I have thought about it more in the last week than ever before. I am so sorry that you have to grow up in a world where this is still present."
She also referenced the police killing of Rodney King in 1991, and what it was like to grow up during the event. Meghan said she was 11 or 12, and she remembers it clearly.
"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, and seeing people run out of buildings carrying bags and looting."
"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. I am sorry that in a way we have not gotten to the place where you deserve it to be."
However, Meghan also noted that she sees signs of hope in the events that have recently transpired across the country.
"We're seeing that right now, from the sheriff in Michigan or the police chief in Virginia. We're seeing people stand in solidarity; we are seeing communities come together and to uplift. You are going to be part of this movement."
"With as diverse, vibrant, and open-minded as I know the teachings are at Immaculate Heart, I know you know that black lives matter."
You can watch Meghan's entire speech on Essence.
Meghan and Prince Harry have been living a pretty low-key life since arriving in Los Angeles earlier this year, and the students at her former school were surprised and probably really excited to hear from her. It's a powerful move on her part, and it definitely goes to show that sometimes you have to do things even if they make you nervous.
People online were also happy to see the duchess speaking up about what's going on in the United States and around the world. One woman wrote, "Like it or not Meghan is a public figure. Even before she married Harry she spoke up for the people. Maybe folk should listen to her before throwing insults her way."
And it's true: Meghan does have a long history of speaking up about issues that really matter, from her time in the UK all the way back to the now-infamous letter she wrote about gender inequality and sexism when she was only 11 years old.
In her letter, she told Procter & Gamble that "people all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans," not just women. And the company surprised Meghan by replying, she said, noting, "If you see something that you don't like or are offended by on television or another place, write letters and send them to the right place, and you can really make a difference, for not just yourself but for other people."
