Meghan Markle says returning the US amid racial tensions was ‘just devastating’

Markle remarked that the experience of returning to a country in the throes of civil unrest was "devastating," according to the Daily Wire.

Markle spoke with Emily Ramshaw, co-founder and CEO of The 19th, saying that she did not expect to return to a country in such disarray, adding that "I think at the onset, if I'm being honest, it was just devastating. ... It was so sad to see where our country was in that moment."

Markle qualified her statement by suggesting that there may be a silver lining to the unrest, saying: “If there’s any silver lining in that, I would say that in the weeks after the murder of George Floyd, in the peaceful protests that you were seeing, in the voices that were coming out, in the way that people were actually owning their role… it shifted from sadness to a feeling of absolute inspiration, because I can see that the tide is turning."

Markle was barred from being able to speak on certain issues that mattered to her since she was a senior member of the Royal Family, but that is apparently set to change.

“From my standpoint, it’s not new to see this undercurrent of racism and certainly unconscious bias, but I think to see the changes that are being made right now is really—it’s something I look forward to being a part of,” Markle said.

“And being part of using my voice in a way that I haven’t been able to of late. So, yeah, it’s good to be home.”

Prince Harry and Markle delved into politics last month by suggesting that Britain reckon with its colonial past, stating that there was no way to "move forward" unless there was an acknowledgement of the past.

“We’re going to have to be a little uncomfortable right now because it’s only in pushing through that discomfort that we get to the other side of this,” added Markle. “It’s not just in the big moments, it’s in the quiet moments where racism and unconscious bias lies and thrives.”

“There is no turning back now, everything is coming to a head,” Harry chimed in. “Solutions exist and change is happening far quicker than it ever has done before.”

The Daily Wire reported that Markle gave a keynote speech at the Girl Up Leadership Summit, where she encouraged girls to actively fight against racial and gender inequality.

“I know you have already done so much and made so many people’s lives better. The moment we are living through right now asks all of us to do more,” she said.

“It’s a moment where your voices, and your action, have never been more urgently needed.”

“Believing in true equality is not enough—it’s going to take more than belief; we have to work for it every day, even when it’s hard and even when it makes others feel uneasy,” she added.

“We have to speak up for ourselves and we have to speak out for others who struggle to be heard.”