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Editor's Letter: The Black Women Not Waiting For Their Prince To Change The World

So, I hear there’s been a lot of talk about a wedding or something happening this weekend...?

Listen, I’m far from a wedding grinch and I wish the couple as much happiness as you can genuinely wish two complete strangers, but the thing that is annoying me most about this wedding is all the significance that mainstream media are trying to decipher from it. With headlines like “For many black women, Meghan Markle’s engagement offers hope” they are honestly embarrassing themselves and I feel all the cringe on their behalf.

But enough of that, because besides the mainstream media doing exactly what the mainstream media always do, there are plenty of things that black women are doing that give me hope. Let’s start with the group of French actresses, producers and writers who protested racism and exclusion within the French film industry on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. Their protest also launched their new book, ‘Noire n’est pas mon metier’ (‘Being Black is not my job’) which includes interviews with actors speaking on the ridiculous prejudice they still face working in the industry. While obviously the focus should be on the important message they’ve brought to forefront, can I just say that they all looked amazing decked out in monochrome Balmain, afros and curls on full display. You can’t help but be encouraged by such a powerful display of solidarity.