So today on Facebook and Twitter I could not even count the number of black women who were celebrating the royal engagement of Meghan Markle to Prince Harry as some sort of breakthrough for the black race. Some of the celebrations were reading, ‘Finally, a black woman in the royal family’, whilst some read, ‘We have made it into the royal family, yay.’
I was sitting there scratching my head with shame and embarrassment. I understand that as black people we are a broken people. We are carrying a lot of baggage and the need for acceptance is deep and raw. But if we ever want to earn respect, we have to start by respecting ourselves.
First of all Meghan Markle is not black. I think we need to establish that before this ‘black royal’ obsession and excitement gets any more embarrassing. Not once has Meghan ever referred to herself as black. And I know black people feel very offended and get sensitive if a mixed race person denies being black, which is very unfair and disrespectful.
Unlike many black people, who want to claim anyone who has a drop of black blood in them as one of them, Meghan does not disregard her white father, hence she refers to her ethnicity as mixed-race. Not black, but bi-racial. There is a big difference. Her father is not invisible.
She says when she was a little girl, her teacher told her to tick the ‘Caucasian’ box and told her that she looked white, so she was white. A confused Meghan could not bring herself to tick the Caucasian box because she could not choose the ethnicity of her father over that of her mother.
So is it not an insult to Meghan when all black people are jubilating calling her black, whilst disregarding her father?
Why is it that black people feel this desperate need to claim people who are not black just to feel important?
At least if Meghan looked black then it could be justified, maybe. The woman does not even look black. She could pass off for being Kim Kardashian’s twin sister for goodness sake. There is no way you can look at her and say she is black.
So why black people are busy celebrating that one of us has finally made it into the royal family is beyond me. Yes her mother is black, that’s important to acknowledge. But Meghan was not born of a virgin Mary. A white man made a black woman pregnant, and behold, Meghan Markle was born. Her father is very important in all this.
I have seen a lot of mixed race people who do not want to identify as black being attacked by black people for denying their race? It’s totally crazy. People who are born to white and black parents should never be forced to be black. Why pigeon-hole their identity and disregard the white parent? How insensitive. I respect mixed-race individuals who identify as black, it’s their respectful choice, but those who do not identify as black should be respected too. It’s nothing to do with denying their race, if they don’t feel black, let them be. If they feel more connected to their white parent, let them be.
Black people, there are enough of us in this world. We are enough. We are adequate. We are complete as a people. This desperate need for acceptance has to stop. We do not need to claim every mixed race person in this world. Let’s allow bi-racial people to be…
Even if Meghan was black, it’s still embarrassing to say it’s a breakthrough that a black woman has married a British royal. If that was the case, we should be celebrating that Prince Harry is lucky to find himself a melanin goddess. Please, as a people, let’s have a bit of pride and self-worth. Why are we still slaves to white supremacy? Do we not have any ounce of self-worth and self-respect?
Let’s leave Meghan alone. She is not black, let that sink in each one of us. Let’s not insult her or her father. She is as much ‘white’ as she is ‘black’, she has said that that’s how she feels. There is nothing wrong with being happy for her, she has found love, but this has nothing to do with some sort of ‘breakthrough’ or ‘game changer’ for black Britons.
If you are one of those people who is celebrating Meghan being a ‘black woman’, maybe you need to be reminded who black people actually are. Google ‘Slave Trade In Libya’. Or go on CNN and search ‘black slaves in Libya’, then you may have a clear picture of what black people actually look like. It may also remind you of what black people go through in this world, especially those who are very dark. They have kinky hair and melanin-rich skin. And they are adequate enough in their afro hair and dark skin, they do not need to identify with people who are mixed race to feel worthy enough.
I understand Meghan has faced some racism and continue to receive mean remarks about her color even today, but that does not make her black. Just because there are some sick people out there abusing her for being mixed race doesn’t mean automatically she has to be black.
I will write this for the last time, Meghan Markle, the royal bride to be, is not a black woman. She is bi-racial. I will go as far as to say, technically speaking, in the eyes of God, her creator, Meghan is a white woman. She is identified by the seed of her father, making her white.
