I have to commend the way mixed-race is being talked about in the UK right now. I also need to give a nod where it’s due—to Meghan Markle, Black Mixed American, former actress, now Prince Harry’s wife and Duchess of Sussex. Markle’s highly visible presence in the United Kingdom and openness about being Mixed has shifted a lot of narratives. I know the conversation about Markle is complex and multi-faceted, at times fraught and triggering. I recognize as a non-Black womxn, there is much I can’t speak to regarding Blackness, colorism, colonialism, intergenerational trauma, etc. Before I continue, I highly encourage you to seek writings by Black and Black Mixed womxn on these critical, necessary topics.
What I wanted to add here is that seeing ourselves in national leadership matters a lot for mixed-race people too. In equity work we always reiterate this phrase: Representation Matters. I confess it gets tiring repeating it. Especially, as in the case of multiracial representation, when you’re not sure if anyone else is listening, or, they are listening but pushing back. Then, something will happen that returns me like a slingshot to the ongoing importance of these two words for multiracial folks. At the moment, it’s been watching how Markle marrying into the Royal Family, and becoming pregnant with a Mixed child, has opened the door for more representation of Mixed people in the UK. Check out this media round-up since May . . .
