Meghan Markle hosts roundtable to speak with and encourage next generation of female activists

Meghan Markle has hosted a virtual roundtable with a group of young girls to encourage them to keep using their voices to fight for change and allow them a platform to do so.

According to the Archewell website, the Duchess of Sussex, in collaboration with Girls Inc and National Women’s Law Center, spoke with the 13- to 18-year-olds, primarily girls of colour, during a conversation that covered everything from “everyday struggles during Covid, including identity loss and isolation,” to issues such as mental health and racial injustice.

While speaking with the group, which was composed of girls “already making an impact around education, social justice, and health and wellness in their own schools and communities,” Meghan also asked what tools the participants believe they need to be successful in the coming year.

In response, a “common thread emerged,” with the younger generation expressing the need for “acknowledgement, support, empathy, and resources” to be able to accomplish their goals.

During the conversation, the duchess also shared inspiration by reflecting on the stories of trailblazing women in history, before asking the roundtable which female figures “embolden them to challenge injustice”.

The question was met with a variety of responses, with Archewell noting that the girls named women including civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer and Kala Bagai, an immigration advocate and one of the first South Asian women in the US.

In a statement, Stephanie J Hull, the president and CEO of Girls Inc, said that the organisation is “proud” to have participated in the roundtable with the duchess and Archewell foundation and the National Women’s Law Center.

“We believe girls are innately powerful and the leaders our future needs,” she continued, adding that the organisation is “grateful to have the duchess as a champion and advocate for girls and women”.

In a separate statement, Fatima Goss Graves, the president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, also thanked the duchess before adding: “Our work is always guided by those who are closest to the problem, and that is perhaps most true of our work in support of girls - and their right to learn and live with safety, equity, and dignity.

“In this moment as we begin to imagine what it is like to reopen and recover from the pandemic, we must seize the opportunity to centre the experiences of girls - especially girls of colour and LGBTQ+ youth - in how we reimagine our culture and curriculum, our policies and our priorities.”

The roundtable comes ahead of Global Citizen’s Vax Live concert, which will see Meghan and Prince Harry, who are expecting their second child, share an “important message for vaccine equity” on 8 May.