Black women all over the world are said to be over the moon about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement.
As News Republic reports, Prince Harry, one of the world’s most eligible bachelors, has “chosen someone who looks like them (Black women) and grew up like them”. It’s the ultimate fairytale with a delicious plot twist.
“It’s that old ‘Cinderella’ tale,” said Essence Magazine Editor-in-Chief Vanessa K. DeLuca. “No matter what, we all have this fantasy of being swept off our feet by the prince. It’s validation that, of course, we can be princesses. … We need to see that as black women, that that’s possible. That’s something we don’t get to see enough of, and that’s what we’re responding to.”
Markle, whose mother is black and father is white, will be the first woman of color in modern history to join the British royal family. According to The Sun, Megan’s dad will walk his daughter down the aisle despite leg problems, his family revealed.
Meanwhile, many black women have commented online that coverage of Markle’s roots by some media outlets is indicative of the racism that they experience daily. Markle recently called it “disheartening” to have to still deal with questions about her identity in 2017 — as if racism died within the last decade and suddenly and surprisingly reared its ugly head.
Morgan Jerkins, a 25-year-old writer and editor who lives in New York, said the couple’s story is inspiring — especially Markle’s second chance at love as a divorced woman in her mid-30s.
“The odds were not in her favor,” said Jerkins, a black woman. “I’m all for seeing women of color who are loved publicly and tremendously. We’re bombarded all the time with messages about how unmarriageable we are. For this moment, we can say, ‘Not today.’”
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(Eddie Mulholland/Pool via AP)
