Racism and the British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is at a crossroads. The Firm and the Royal Family can respond to the crisis about racism in two possible ways.
The first is simply to deny its racism, sweep the controversy under the rug, and carry on.
The second is to learn what racism is.
I used to think that I wasn’t racist. Until George Floyd’s horrendous death I did not understand how rampant the terrible treatment was of People of Color. When George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, a center of nice Midwest America, it was a rude awakening for me that racism was everywhere.
I had been vaguely aware that bad things sometimes happened in the south. I was guilty of thinking, or maybe even saying, “of course all lives matter” when I heard, “Black Lives Matter”. I was racist. I was blind to what Black Lives Matter was about. It was racist thinking because it denied the truth that people of color are more likely to be treated unfairly based entirely upon their appearance.
There is a reason that the Members of Parliament wrote The Firm a letter about how Meghan was being unfairly treated. There is a reason why it was women who wrote and signed their names to this demand to stop the mistreatment. Many women understand from experience the treatment that Meghan was receiving.
The world knows that the Royal Family could have told the press to cease and desist. We watched when they protected William and Harry after Diana’s devastating untimely passing. We have witnessed recent quashing of news about some truly scandalous royal behavior.
We saw absolutely no defense of Meghan despite the letter from Members of Parliament.
I believe there is a learning opportunity here. The Royal Family can either continue believing that they are not racist or they can learn what racism is. They could stand up and pledge to address racism and move forward as the fine example they have been at times in their history.
Unintentional racism is still racism. We each need to shine a light on our own racism and the racism of the organizations that we embody. We need to put our hearts into listening and watching for those actions and words that poison healthy interactions and sharing of ideas. We need to actively nurture respect and stand up and shine a light on poison. We need to legitimize all voices to truly hear the truths of all people.
If the Commonwealth and Royal Family are to thrive in the future the Royal Family must lead through this difficult terrain.
If the British Royal Family can’t lead in this difficult endeavor they will progress in their irrelevance to the world at large.
Any meaningful change in the world isn’t easy.
I am not in Public Relations. I am not a professional in public images. But I do think there is a lot to be gained in the long run by sincere, heartfelt, authentic soul searching with the concluding humility and steps for positive change.
Even if the Royal Family does not see itself as racist, much of the world saw it as racist, long before the Oprah interview. We saw the lack of defense of Meghan, and the lack of acknowledgement that her assimilation into the Royal Family would need more support because of all the ways she was different, and likely to be targeted.
This is not to say that the Royal Family is bad. The Firm is neither good nor bad of itself but determined by its actions in the world. This is not WWI or WWII but I believe it is just as crucial a time for the world and for the Royal Family.
What will it be? Will it be leadership through uncomfortable terrain, or business as usual sweeping controversy under the rug?
For the sake of the world I hope it is leadership.
