Jump to Main ContentJump to Primary Navigation

Founder's Letter: Meghan Markle, Sarah Everard & The Exhaustion Of Racism In Britain

This week has been one of exhaustion for black women. I don’t say that lightly, but it has and I am not sure where to begin. I’m not sure how to quite put pen to paper (metaphorically) in a way that makes black women and people who read this less exhausted. I want to write this newsletter and I want to say something deeply profound, but I am tired. I want to write something that will lift and resonate with your spirits but like many of you, I am truly fatigued by watching the world debate our lived experiences as black women, black women who live in Britain. I am also truly fatigued at how the humanity of black womanhood is constantly ignored by feminism.

Last Monday, conversations about race were everywhere due to Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. As Meghan sat down and told her truths, it was painful to watch, because black women could relate on every level starting with her mental health issues being dismissed. This isn’t just Meghan’s inability to have a stiff upper lip like the Royals, but is an example of what is a systematic problem in this country. In the broadest of terms, black people are more likely to experience mental health problems, but white people are twice as likely to receive treatment for their mental health problems. So it was no surprise that the Royals, who run a number of campaigns about mental health, dismissed the mental health of a black woman.