Racial (Dis)Harmony: The Overestimated Post-racial Power of Meghan Markle |
Racial (Dis)Harmony: The Overestimated Post-racial Power of Meghan Markle
Bitch Media
2017-12-01
Dr. Shantel Gabrieal Buggs, Assistant Professor of Sociology and African American Studies
Florida State University
Photo credit: Twitter/newsjsBW
This week, the engagement of American actress Meghan Markle to British royal Prince Harry set social media ablaze.
Race is at the center of this internet firestorm: Markle is biracial, with a Black mother and white father. As a Black and white mixed-race woman who studies multiracial identity and interracial relationships, the online debates over Markle and her fiancé have been both perplexing and unsurprising. Over the last year, Markle’s racial background has drawn negative press in Britain. Last November, Prince Harry publicly called out the barely veiled racism and sexism in the media coverage of their relationship. Despite this treatment, their engagement is viewed as an opportunity to change what it means to be British and royal, with American fans celebrating a “real Black princess” who will bring #BlackGirlMagic to the royal family and the seemingly stale royal wedding traditions. Several essays have been written about what Markle’s presence means for the British monarchy and the broader racial politics of the West…
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Tags: Bitch Media, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince Henry of Wales, Shantel Buggs, Shantel G. Buggs, Shantel Gabrieal Buggs