One of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter organization has called for a boycott of the Royal Family after Meghan Markle revealed that one of the family members questioned how dark her biracial son’s skin would be.
Opal Tometi made an appearance on TMZ Live to urge people to shun the family because they don’t support Black people. According to the outlet, the BLM co-founder said Markle’s experience in the U.K. “is what all too often happens with Black people … they try to go through the proper channels to resolve problems, but then it turns out the issue is with the institution itself.”
She also said that the Royal Family places “virtually no value on Black lives … and thus, the masses should turn their backs on the Royals like at least one of them did to little Archie.”
In an interview that aired Sunday (March 7) with Oprah Winfrey, the Duchess of Sussex revealed that the Royal Family treated her son differently than the other grandchildren. There were discussions about Archie not receiving a royal title and not receiving security.
“The idea of our son not being safe and also the idea of the first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren would be…” she told Winfrey.
“In those months where I was pregnant, all around this same time, so we have in tandem the conversations of he won’t be given security, he’s not gonna be given a title and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born,” Markle added.
Since the interview aired, the Royal Family released a statement saying that the issues the Duchess raised were troubling. “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” the statement reads. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”
“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members,” the Royals added.