Martin Luther King III is the 62-year-old son of the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. MLK III does a lot of work around his father’s legacy, the MLK Center and social and racial justice causes. MLK III has a new interview with the I Paper, a British publication, where he speaks about the racial justice protests, the murder of George Floyd, and what would have been different if his father had lived decades longer – you can read the full piece here. MLK III was asked about the Duchess of Sussex, because I think British publications just do that all the time now – they just ask everybody “so what’s your take on Meghan??” Here’s what he said in context:
Even Prince Harry has called for Britain to confront the “uncomfortable” history of the Commonwealth, declaring days after I speak with King that “there is no way that we can move forward, unless we acknowledge the past”. The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has faced what many feel was a harsh treatment at the hands of the British media that a white woman would not have endured.
King admits he was “greatly disappointed” watching Britain’s treatment of the American Duchess. “The reports that I saw were very, very, very difficult reports of how she was treated.”
“I’m not surprised, in other words, it’s not like ‘oh, wow, that that’s a surprise’ because these institutions have been here forever. And the institutions have been structured in a certain way. So when you operate as Harry just happening to fall in love with someone who is not in the traditional set of circumstances, then there was going to be pushback.
“I think that’s the process that we have to still continue to work through to rid our society of racism.”
But despite the barriers, and anger, and divisions, King doesn’t accept that his father’s dream is further away. That’s an insult to those who have fought to move forward for decades.
Here’s how I saw things – many Americans have always enjoyed reading gossip about royals, especially British royals. We enjoyed the fairytale aspect, and we enjoyed the real sh-t drama of it too, especially with Princess Diana. As Americans, we didn’t really understand the nuances of the British establishment, or the ingrained systemic racism in British class-based society, their media and their institutions. We just didn’t get it, it was literally foreign to us, even though America also has deep, systemic racism across the board. But we genuinely thought that when our pretty biracial American actress crossed the pond and married a British prince, it would just be a new, modern chapter to the fairytale we always enjoyed. What we got was an education in how British society, British media and British institutions simply did the most to reject, smear, humiliate and bully a woman of color until her life became unbearable. It was an education. I think it was an education even for people who have done work on institutional racism for decades, like MLK III.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
” What we got was an education in how British society, British media and British institutions simply did the most to reject, smear, humiliate and bully a woman of color until her life became unbearable. ”
Exactly!
They thought people weren’t paying attention; they are going to be very surprised by the pushback on their BS; we have enough problems here with orange man, our own systemic racism but Kaiser and MLK III are right, it was an education
THIS!! The world is watching! Harpers UK insta page had to turn off their comments on 2 Meg posts that I saw and they specifically stated it’s because of racism… I got my high horse and popcorn ready 🍿👀
It wasn’t shocking at all that they went after her, I always knew they would because she’s American and mixed race but what was disturbing was the amount of vitriol from a media that loves to claim that they’re not racist. It’s the delusion that has been jarring to witness. The obsession they have with her and Harry is stalkerish, deluded and they seem to want their attention badly. The attachment that many of those photographers, reporters, experts etc have toward this couple is really sickening. These people don’t realize how unhinged they look. They don’t realize that the rest of the world is looking at them sideways. The way they’re acting, you would think Harry was the next king. This is all about them missing the control and anger that their money makers are gone. It’s incredibly toxic and abusive. They know they aren’t returning, dropping the lawsuits and will never embrace them with access. That has them REELING.
Co-sign 100%. Anyone Harry married was probably going to be attacked. Harry marrying a biracial American woman upped the ante, so to speak. But the most disturbing aspect of it, to me, is how unhinged some of these people are. These “reporters” actively engage with the nastiest conspiracy theories on Twitter. they ENABLE and encourage those theories.
I will say, for the rota, I think its mostly about missing the control like you said, but I think its also self-preservation. Harry and Meghan have proved that you don’t actually need the royal rota to get your message out. You don’t need a pool photographer to get your charity work covered. You don’t need to interact with someone who abuses you daily to make sure your work gets attention. And so all the RRs have left is supposed “insider knowledge” that ends up being nasty conspiracy theories. But if they admit that H&M don’t need them, then why do other royals need them? Its clear from H&M that if their work is interesting, and relevant, and their message is clear, it will get international attention. And I guess that’s the issue, right? Would anyone cover Kate’s gardening if it weren’t for the rota?
Yep. The Rota sees the writing on the wall and I think they’re also angry because they see what they’re stuck with and no amount of embiggening will make the other royals interesting. The amount of international attention Meghan and Harry are still receiving is still huge. The delusion that they’re irrelevant is wishful thinking by a group of people desperately wanting their attention. They know they shot themselves in the foot with the smearing and nastiness and they don’t know what to do.
“Would anyone cover Kate’s gardening if it weren’t for the rota?”
I felt this burn in my soul 😂🔥
I agree, i truly didn’t undrestand how sick and twisted the British psyche and covert racism is in the UK. It really put on show the constant gaslighting, microagressions and boundaries people of colour and black women have to face in the uk. The uk has finally shown its ass.
They don’t deserve a woman as awesome as her in their country. We love her more here. Stay where the love is strong and unified. We need her now more than ever.
Oh really so the whole country doesn’t deserve her cos she’s a saint or a unicorn or something lol
As a Portuguese woman residing in Greece I am taken aback when Americans talk of the racism in the UK as regards to Meghan it’s not fair to generalize that the whole country is racist while America is a shit hole right the racism in that country is disgusting to say the least and has been made much worse by a moron of a president. America is a laughing stock right now in the eyes of the whole world. How about the way they’re handling the Corona Virus and the Gun violence happening every day. I am not in support of the way Meghan was treated in the UK by the Press it was very appalling and disgusting but to say the country doesn’t deserve her cos of what happened is laughable. America needs to fix it self before judging others. America and Americans need to stop with this saviour mentality it is what is killing you guys!
American racism is more overt, agressive due to History. They had slaves in large numbers there. British racism is agressive too, but of a different type. They remained as an Empire for long, and had the people of colour quietly working for them away from their homes and from their eyes. Only when they needed workers after the war they received poc immigrants in large numbers.
I think it is completly fair to remind americans they are not the center of universe and there are other experiences and narratives there to be considered and is legitimate to discuss how racism operates differently in different countries. The sentiment here is that americans assumed things were not ” bad” accross the poiund and were surprised.
Mas de qualquer forma, Portugal, também tendo sido um Império, exerce racismo de outra maneira que os USA e Uk…essa discussao é muito grande e muito complexa-
@Reginald, do you know for a fact the @exactly meant the entire UK by “they”? You accusing a poster of generalizing without even caring to get all the facts, isn’t that something? Maybe by they the poster meant the British tabloids, the rota and their likes? I mean the posts right above @exactly are discussing the rota, leave alone the entire thread being about the British media, non? I’d get my facts first before jumping down someone’s throat!!
You are in support of her treatment by the British press and public. Otherwise the words Saint or unicorn wouldn’t come out of your mouth.
You brag that you are Portuguese, well Portugal has its own problems with racism. Look at what your country has done in Mozambique and Angola.
And Americans have every right to condemn the UK for racism especially because the UK deny their racism. America is racist but atleast they don’t deny it.
If we are going to have a scale on racism then no western country should speak.
@Prisciloa Eu concordo totalmente com a amplitude e complexidade do tópico racismo. Americano precisa parar de agir como o mundo gira em torno deles
Says someone from PORTUGAL who lives in Greece and is defending straight up Colonizers.
And I am suppose to find what you say important, why?
@Reginald – well that’s a pretty hypocritical thing to say. The transatlantic slave trade began during the 15th century when Portugal, and subsequently other European countries, were finally able to expand overseas and reach Africa. The Portuguese first began to kidnap people from the west coast of Africa and to take those they enslaved back to Europe, then to the new world in the next century.
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
Um, Reginald never mentioned that Portugal had the higher moral ground and Portugal’s history is irrelevant to the comment being made that Americans should think twice before making pronouncements on other country’s racial situation, given its appalling racial practices.
Um, Reginald never mentioned that Portugal had the higher moral ground and Portugal’s history is irrelevant to the comment being made that Americans should think twice before making pronouncements on other country’s racial situations, given its appalling racial practices.
As a Black American I was happy for Meghan & Harry. I had followed her and actress Gina Torres on their show Suits before they started dating. I think as a Black American the level of outright nastiness and racism FROM THE PRESS was shocking. National media outlets in America at least pretend to be non-racist although sometimes the coverage of a story can be from a “white perspective” . Unless you’re doing questionable things like sleeping in the same bed with children or in thrall to a cultish religion the American press is pretty much going to cover the sensational story and move on to the next thing. It would be shocking to see the American press fabricate clutch the pearl stories on an ongoing basis and have anyone take that seriously -nevermind inviting rubbish story writers onto tv shows to discuss the rubbish they wrote! Piers Morgan would be sued and banished to right wing talk radio. Also there’s the fact that Americans previously adored the Brits and their accents. We are taught in school that we have a “special relationship” with Britain. It’s been shocking to find out that not only do they hate Meghan, they look down on all Americans despite the fact that we embrace every homely looking Brit actor or politico who finds their way to American soil.
So I do agree that America has a racism problem BUT we’ve attempted to deal with it and currently still acknowledge that it’s a problem. Further, Black people here KNOW we are citizens and expect to be treated fairly whereas Black Brits are treated as foreigners or children of foreigners who should shut up and be grateful the Brits ended slavery. The amount of gaslighting and denial about their nasty racist ways in the UK is unbelievable!
@ Reginald I am a black British woman and i agree with what the original woman said entirely, and i don’t appreciate you gaslighting our experiences.
Oh and Portugal is one of the worst countries in regards to the generational trauma and terror it caused through the trans atlantic slave trade – which I should remind you were started by the Portuguese (importing kidnapping the most people) – and its treament of its colonies – which up to this day it has never acknowledged, nor paid reparations for. And YES the British public DO NOT deserve her, she is indeed a unicorn and too good for their vile hateful spirits, silence is compliance.
Portugal does NOT have the moral high ground. Portugal has a LOT of blood on its hands in regards colonialism, slavery and racism. You people are literally part of the OG colonial clique in regards to why the world is the way it is now.
But please do keep engaging in the pure fiction that Portugal is now some kind of magical kingdom where racism doesn’t exist.
His answer was so diplomatic while still making very clear what he actually thought, especially the line about the work we need to continue to do to rid our system of racism. He’s being direct but not combative, but he’s making it crystal clear that he understands her treatment was racist.
I’m a white British woman living in rural England and it was an education for me too. I’ve always turned the tv off if ever Piers Morgan came on but his behaviour has made my blood boil. Also, the fact that there were so many of these reporters gunning for her made me so uncomfortable, and frankly ashamed. Unfortunately my parents are avid Mail readers and the discussions we had over what he had said vs the truth of the matter were epic. Fortunately we are a family who can accept differing views so no harm done.
I’m glad she left with her head held high, her husband supporting her and their adorable child. They absolutely did the right thing and I hope they continue to show up the rest of the slackers who we continue to pay for (which led to even more ‘discussions’ in the family!).
BM is such a disappointment to a lot of people. But the Sussexes are beyond the provincial UK press. They don’t need them. The Rotten Rota are stuck with the non money making Cambridges and the rest of the BRF it has on a leash.
Exactly. The Rota is upset because their perceived self importance has been ripped up and they’re not relevant considering the American media is bigger, broader and that’s not even including social media. Plus, they’re stuck with royals no one cares for and no amount of embiggening will change that fact. It’s the BM that’s becoming irrelevant and they’re hanging on for dear life.
It was and is a deep shock. I’m horrified by my nation. And protesting against it is an endless, uphill battle because so many people are so smug, are so SURE darling Meghan didn’t experience racism because ‘we’re not a racist country, we’re not America’ – and then DROPPING A DOGWHISTLE INTO THE SAME CONVERSATION. Simultaneously we have a Future Future Keen whose been so infantalised by the Royal Rota that she’s been finding her ‘confidence’ for over a decade and has endless gushing headlines over repotting sunflowers (badly). It’s sickening, it’s an absolute disgrace. There’s no excuse.
(BTW, Kaiser, we just call it ‘I’ or ‘the i’ in the yUK.)
Kaiser, you are 100 percent correct. I could not have said it better. Has the treatment of Meghan been a wake-up call to some British citizens, commonwealth nations, etc. as well, I wonder.
This. When it happened I felt like it was a way bigger deal than people were making it out to be. This was beyond Royal gossip, and William and Kate have some pretty bad karma coming their way. I’m honest when I say, I really feel like they have set up a historical bomb. This could cost William the kingship because that Flybe stunt proved to everyone that he was 100% complicit.
Exactly Kaiser. I thought it was a sign that the RBF wanted to modernize and move towards progress and the future. I was excited to see what Harry & Meghan would do. And so were they. And we were all educated in how utterly rigid and stuck in their institutionally racist ways the RBF and the British media truly are.
William and Kate have got to be sooooo bored waiting ad infinitum for their ascent to the throne behind dear ol’ dad and Camilla – who, by the way, is the next queen consort, no matter how many irrelevant stories Camp Cambridge continue churning out about “preparing” to be K&Q.
It’s like Waiting for Godot, where Dan Wootton plays “The Bellman.”
It’s like sitting on the deck of a ship that’s always anchored to port.
It’s like expecting Donald Trump to apologize (for anything.)
I mean. They’re easily gonna be in their f’king fifties before they *fiiiiinnnnnaaallly* get to the throne room. In the meantime, they’re just sitting … and waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
Harry, on the other hand, will always be a global figure in his own right – with a lot of goodwill from people who sympathize with his flight from crazytown.
Meghan’s treatment blew the lid off of Britain’s racism for me. I never though they were a utopia but I thought they were a bit more progressive in terms of race relations than us Americans but boy, was I wrong. For them to have racially abused her to the point of her leaving the country within 3 years is something I would’ve never would happen. It was a learning moment for everyone, except maybe black britons.
Glad more black leaders are speaking about this. These stereotypes that have been put on the biracial princess are disgusting. As a racist institution the royal family and first world countries with history drenched with slavery have to do more than the usual people who don’t have such an ugly history. The brf and british people have not done enough and this is far from going away! I feel for all the people of colour in Britain for the insulting way their fellow countrymen behaved. No one is coming out with apologies or accountability either. Shame.
Yes, it was an ugly eye opening for a lot of us.
It completely destroyed my admiration and love for the UK. I have never visited the UK, but have enjoyed royal gossip my entire life (since the days of Chuck and Di) and inherited my mother’s love for all things English–tea, antiques, etc. England has always been at the top of my traveling wishlist, but I’m not so sure anymore. It’s been such a let down to have the veil pulled back and see the ugliness laying beneath the polite, stiff upper lips. I can’t unsee it now.
Yes, I’ve become thoroughly disillusioned with the UK. I never realized how racist they are. The country has nostalgia for Empire and refuses to look at its white supremacist roots. The BBC portraying baby Archie as a chimp should have caused an uproar, but it didn’t.
The British media and tabloids thought no one was watching and listening. I have been watching and listening since the day I found out Harry was dating her 2016. The list of smears, racist statements, and caste calling would fill up this entire page. I wish someone would list all the statements by all media in the Uk since 2016-appalling is not a word I could use-utterly disgusted and heavy-hearted would be a better way to say how I feel. They show how black their hearts are and the evil of their intent. God bless Harry, Meghan, and Archie. I truly wish nothing but the best for their family.
It was not an education or surprising to me. I’m a black American but I’ve read about Britian’s racism throughout the years and the horrid media. Would it have been nice if Meghan was welcomed? Of course. But there were a lot of factors at play that were going to keep that from happening and racism was one. A biracial, divorced American feminist coming into an institution that is hundreds of years old and lacks progression was not going to embrace her and neither were the people it served. It was doomed from the beginning. As a black woman I loved that she was a trailblazer breaking down the barriers even if there were those standing on her with tons of opposition. It was, however, sad to watch and I’m sure heartbreaking to experience especially for Harry because this opposition wasn’t just coming from people he worked with but from his family. To realize your family are racist against your gf/wife is a lot to swollen especially when the world is watching.
you are so right! it was an education.. a rude awakening for more than just Americans but the whole resit of the black ppl in the world i think…the British Royal family ; white Britian and especpially their press/media have really hurt their brand or whatever shiny thing they held even more.
I am not surprised that Duchess Meghan has been subjected to racism in the UK. I was born and have lived in England all my life. (I am black) I think that the real issue here lies with mainly some white women themselves, as they think that black women are not worthy of being married to eligible rich white men, like Prince Harry, but if a eligible rich black man wants to pick and marry them, it is ok, because they are white and are seen as a prize. This is especially encouraged in the media and society, for white women to been seen as the standard for all men from different races, but women of a different race, especially black women, should be shunned at all costs.
Some white women unfortunately, have relished in this status quo of how things are and were shocked and angry that Harry was going to marry Meghan. This is where the hate is coming from. Another thing is that Harry is seen to be going against white supremacy by marrying and having a child with a biracial/mixed race woman and to some white people that is unforgivable.
In regards to the differences between racism in the USA and racism in the UK, let me put it this way, racist Americans will called you the N word to your face, racist Brits will call you the N word, behind your back and then pretend that they just called you nerd.