A part-Negro woman is about to be part of the British royal family, and the media has been talking endlessly about her racial background and how this is the first time in modern history that a colored woman will join British royalty.
On the one hand, it’s surprising that in this day and age such a thing would still make news. Hasn’t anyone heard of Janet Jackson or Serena Williams, both of whom have found love outside their race? For that matter, aren’t people aware that the last President of the United States was not Caucasian, a major achievement for a nation that is still struggling with racial discrimination?
And that’s pretty much the sentiment expressed by the engaged couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Prince Harry last year lambasted the media for “racial undertones” in social media and news coverage. Markle this week said it was “disheartening” that it was 2017 and she was still having to deal with questions about her racial identity.
But on the other hand, perhaps one of the things that makes this so newsworthy is that it’s extremely rare. Not that interracial marriages are rare, of course, but such a union in the British royal family is certainly not something you see regularly. Much rarer than, say, a Negro Queen of England or a Jewish Pope, wouldn’t you agree?
Is the media’s focus on this racial difference justified? That’s hard to say. What’s easy to say is that the couple are obviously bothered by it, and that their wishes should be respected, not because they’re royalty, but because they are human.
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