Meghan re-writes history?
There was a sheer and genuine delight in the faces of those who gathered as Meghan Markle did her first walkabout with her fiancé Prince Harry. People were overjoyed at the very real possibility that a "black" person was going to become part of the royal family. Some went as far as to call it "historic" for the weight it carried.
The episode starts with some reference to Britain's history as a colonizer and one that not only participated in the slave trade but was a major player. We are told that after Britain abolished its slave trade in 1807 (the first Western country to do so), it followed by dismantling its slave empire in the 1830s. We learn another interesting fact: slave owners were compensated 20 million pounds after the abolition of the slave empire. This is justified by the argument that slavery was legal. Therefore, the slave owners weren't breaking any laws. By paying the slave owners, the British government was compensating them for agreeing to free their slaves.
Reparations paid to slave owners as part of an agreement to end the slave trade.
It would have also been interesting and equaling educating if, in telling Britain's involvement in the slave trade, some lights were shed on the true history and origin of slavery itself and how many people lost their lives while trying to free slaves.
Moving on
We get a breakdown of how the British Press works. Tim Burt, the Strategic Advisor to Archwell and Vice Chairman, Teneo explains what the Royal Rota is: essentially a system that allocates slots to certain members of the media to publish stories or articles about the royal family they have been assigned to cover. There is a scene where Prince Harry and Meghan visit an army base and have lunch with them. Towards the end, as they were saying their goodbyes and being presented with medals and whatnot, a female soldier, who happened to be the first female commander, commented on breaking barriers and proceeded to present Meghan Markle with a medal for breaking barriers as well. All the while, I kept trying to figure out the barriers Meghan Markle had supposedly broken. None came to mind.
My sixth take: It has gradually become a commonality in the black community to believe that the lives of other black people will be bettered if a black person is in office. Don't get me wrong; I do believe that part of the lingering scars of slavery and discrimination is that the offended tend to form tribes and find strength in their similarities, in this case, our skin tone, which is directly correlated to our ancestor's lived experience as slaves. The problem with this manner of thinking or healing is that it doesn't change truth or reality. Just because someone has the same skin tone doesn't mean they share your values or want the same things you want.
I have always had a problem with half-told truths or selected history. When we think of slavery, most of us think of the colonial and Transatlantic slave trade that existed in the UK or the United States, which resulted in the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. However, very few people know that slavery was common throughout the world, and that would include Africa, meaning it had very little to do with skin tone.
Unfortunately, slavery still exists in most Arab and African countries, whose population is predominately brown and black. This kind of slavery is often referred to as "modern-day slavery," even though this obvious fact never gets discussed.
This episode also explores Meghan's family, significantly her father's side. Learning about Meghan Markle's father's endeavors was very sad. Primarily because your parent, especially your father, is supposed to protect you. From his depiction in the docuseries, Thomas Markle appeared to not have his daughter's best interest at heart instead, he was willing to sell stories to the press.
The saga continues! See you on episode four, my fellow readers
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