Harry and Meghan’s new strategist says all white people are ‘rife with internalised racism’

‘As a white woman of privilege, I have racist tendencies written in at a cellular level’, said Genevieve Roth

Joanna Whitehead
Wednesday 24 March 2021 06:33 EDT
Comments
Meghan Markle describes working at frozen yoghurt shop in Oprah interview

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Harry and Meghan’s new strategist for Archewell has said that she and all white people are “rife with internalised racism and unconscious bias”.

Invisible Hand, an agency founded by Genevieve Roth, a former aide to Hilary Clinton, announced on Monday it has started working with the Archewell Foundation run by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, prompting speculation about the political future of the couple.

Ms Roth, a white woman raised in Alaska, has previously written about her experience of being married to Jordan Keith, a black man, and her growing awareness of her own white privilege.

In a 2020 article for Good Housekeeping, she wrote: “I am rife with internalised racism and unconscious bias. And to all of the non-black folks reading this, we need to get clear on something: So are you.

“Race is an issue in our marriage because as a white woman of privilege, I have racist tendencies written in at a cellular level.”

On a drive to look for a new home, Ms Roth described how she “casually” mentioned that their car’s license plates were nearly expired.

“He got so angry with me that I worried he would crash the car,” she said.

“‘Do you realise that if a cop pulls us over for expired tags, I could be killed?’, he said. “I had not realised,” she admitted.

Ms Roth then described another occasion where she pushed him to negotiate for a higher salary “thinking that the problem with his offer lay in his negotiating skills and not realising that black men are serially underpaid, considerably more so than white women”.

“I fought for pay equity my entire career,” she said. “This, I had not realised.”

In another example, she described an incident when Mr Keith said while they were driving “this is the same borough where Eric Garner was murdered”.

Mr Garner, a black man, was killed in a chokehold during an arrest by a police officer in New York in 2014. Ms Roth wrote: “I mean, I really had not realised.

“To be raised white in America is to be told in countless small ways that how you live is correct. It means having your image and your values reflected back at you – in the education you received, the toys you were sold, the ideals of beauty you were given”, she said.

Genevieve Roth in 2014
Genevieve Roth in 2014 (Getty Images for Glamour)

“Systematic change is critical. Better schools. A functioning justice system and an end to police brutality. Reparations. But until white women like myself do the work to examine our role in this racist system, and to repair the collateral damage we have caused, black people in this country will never truly be liberated.”

Ms Roth’s connection with Harry and Meghan has aroused curiosity about the political future of the couple.

In September 2020, Vanity Fair suggested that Ms Markle “would seriously consider running for president”.

The magazine quoted a “close friend” to her, saying: “One of the reasons she was so keen not to give up her American citizenship was so she had the option to go into politics.

“I think if Meghan and Harry ever gave up their titles she would seriously consider running for president.”

However, the magazine also reported that a “well-placed source” said: “While there’s no denying she is interested and engaged in politics as a topic, she harbours no ambition to enter a career in politics herself.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in