Today many across the world celebrated Prince Harry and Meghan Markle declaring their love, devotion, and entering into sacred vows among family, friends and loved ones. We should have known with Meghan getting married on the birthday of civil rights pioneer, Malcolm X, today would be a day of Blackness. I was just waiting for the collard greens, fried chicken, BAKED (not on the stove, Karen) Mac and Cheese and Hawaiian Rolls. Hold the sweet tea; I AM trying to do right. Give me some of that Beyonce I Aint Sorry Lemonade, a side of Coming to America Cornbread, and Red Hot for my greens and I’m good!
There has been a lot of talk about a Black woman, oh yes, Meghan is Black, don’t get it twisted and start none of your shit, marrying Prince Harry. Sidenote: Look, the ONLY time White people seem to want to claim someone as half White is if they have accomplished ANYTHING great in life. You are just another Black person until you become the lead principal dancer in the ballet or become the President of the United States. Ask Misty Copeland or Barack Obama. Then many White people come out of the woodwork and try to claim that you are White. I am not saying don’t claim being White and Black but what I am saying is that MANY White people NEVER step up to claim ANYONE that is biracial unless they do something ASTRONOMICALLY wonderful. Until you do that, you are Black just like the rest of us. So don’t come on my blog with that bovine spillage because I will not stand for it.
Now back to the #BlackerthanBlackRoyalWedding.
Meghan arrived stuntin’ in a Rolls Royce because when you about to be a princess that is just what the fuck you do! As Cardi B.said:
I just arrove in a Rolls
I just came up in a Wraith
I need to fill up the tank
No, I need to fill up the safe
Meghan Markle
Yesss Meghan pull the biggest heist of all time and return our jewels and art! Fill up the safe! A girl can dream. Siggghhhhhhh….
Killmonger had a good point. Black Panther Movie
Anyways…The day started with a lot of pomp and circumstance no one cares about because as with any wedding, we are all concerned about the bride. Meghan was cool, calm and collected as she flipped the scene on Driving Miss Daisy and rode in the back of a Phantom Rolls Royce with her shea buttered locs Black mother, Doria Ragland. And all of Black nation paused. Doria’s locs were glistening and snatched back under a cute green hat. Doria wore her nose ring because BITCH TRY ME! YASSSSS!! I am chuckling typing this!
Then we get inside and honeyyyyyy it was time to go to church! Glory! Bishop Michael Curry didn’t shuck, and jiving wasn’t on the agenda either. He stood in that space and spoke truth to power invoking Dr. King and the old slave spirituals! Is there a blam in Gilead!! I was just about to break out into a praise dance. Shonda!! Eh! Glory! Hallelujah! He spoke about love and fire, fire and love and I promise I got out my ten dollars to give an offering! Hey! Won’t He do it?! Somebody take this tithe! Glory! The crowd looked confused as hell! The didn’t know if they should clutch their pearls or shout amen! LMAO! Glory!
Bishop Michael Can-I-Get-An-Amen-Curry
We had a Black cello soloist, a gospel choir, and the electric slide. Okay maybe not the electric slide but you get my point.
Meghan Markle knows EXACTLY what she is doing today. None of what transpired today just happened by coincidence. It was all intentionally and well orchestrated. And when you have THAT HUGE of a platform, why not use it to speak truth to power? Meghan stands in space where someone commented, “Obviously, 70 years ago, Meghan Markle would have been the kind of woman the prince would have had for a mistress, not a wife.” Her race is not in the background. I am sure Meghan is fully aware that is a Black woman that is now in one of the largest platforms in the world. And she used that power and privilege to highlight the Black struggle and uplift Black excellence. It would have been EASY for Meghan to forego Bishop Michael Curry coming to the wedding. It would have been easy to have a White cellist play the solo. It would have been easy to tell her mother, “For today can you just wear a wig with more “acceptable” hair.” it would have been EASy for her to ask her mom, “Can you just take your nose ring out for today?” It would have been easy for her not to let the choir sing, This Little Light of Mine- a gospel tune from the 1920s that became an anthem for the civil rights movement in America in the ’50s and ’60s.
But Meghan chose not to take the EASY route. And that is what I ask of you? Are you taking the EASY route or are you challenging yourself to speak truth to power even when it is difficult?
I remember in January of this year I had the opportunity to perform poetry with the Louisville Ballet. I was honored. Me, a Black female poet standing on the stage with professional, seasoned dancers. A space that doesn’t often highlight Black women. I assumed they would ask me to do a poem about roses and sunshine. Something EASY. But the choreographer that I was partnered with was a Black man named Brandon Ragland, and he was clear, he wanted his piece to be about social justice, and my heart soared. Without saying a word, we KNEW this was our moment. This was our moment to speak truth to power in a setting where conversations about injustice were not the norm. So we seized the moment. We grabbed hold of it tight and didn’t let it go because that moment was bigger than us. We were standing for every Black person that came before us and every Black person that would come after us. We had NOTHING to lose by speaking the truth. We are already being discriminated against. We already face racism daily. We already are being gunned down in the streets. So why not at least try to say something against injustice in a space that we had to claw our way into?
That is what Meghan did today! She stood in a space and used every way she could to allow the truth to go forward! She seized the moment!
What is your moment?
Will you be ready when your moment comes?
Will you have the courage to stand?
Will you stand in your authority even if you are afraid?
Will you speak even when the world shouts for you to be silent?
What will do with your moment?
Categories: Current Events, Politics, Race Relations, Thoughts, Musings and Reflections
My mother watched and recorded the entire thing. She totally understood the importance of the moment. I spent some time explaining to my 12 year old niece that, yes, for the purposes of our discussion Meghan could be considered a Black princess, and I’m so tearfully glad that she got to grow up in a world where she could see such things! Where she could have such things be normal for her.
I woke up just in time to watch them take their vows, and see a Black woman Pastor speaking. I was amazed at how Afro-centric the entire ordeal was. Meghan truly is bringing it to the Manor isn’t she?
The only drawback for me was that my grandmother did not live long enough to see Obama get elected, and this event today!
Incidentally, I had to check out halfway through your video. It was just too much for me right now. Maybe someday I’ll be able to watch it without bawling my eyes out.
Meghan did what only Meghan could do. And we need that. I am trying to get people to see you do what you can do in your corner of the world. Everything won’t always be loud sometimes you leave a dusting of Black struggle, excellence, etc. where you go. You learn how to navigate in spaces. You use wisdom. Like I couldn’t go in the ballet and say half the stuff I say how I say it but I KNEW I could say it in a way that I would be heard. And for a moment they understood and they didn’t see me they saw a mother suffering a loss and that could be ANYONE! That is why it worked. Also, I understand not being able to watch it. I cried almost every time we performed it. It was very hard. When I performed it again without the dancers I had images of mothers that lost their children to police violence or violence and their images and I broke down. I understand. One day you will watch it but if not, I know you understand the sentiment behind it. ❤️
“Sidenote: Look, the ONLY time White people seem to want to claim someone as half White is if they have accomplished ANYTHING great in life.”
As a freckle-faced biracial/multiracial woman I can attest to this, & unfortunately it cuts both ways. This oppressive white supremacist system has caused “colorism: light vs. dark skin” to further tear OURSELVES apart. Even while growing up in the black community, most black girls didn’t want anything to do with the [only] “Pocahontas girl” in school whose calves look like I’ve “been chasing buffalo”, with the long “white girl hair”…unless it involved yanking it out of my scalp. A white person broke it down to me one day, I’m “too light to be considered black, too dark to be considered white.” I thank the Lord for keeping me alive!!!
*Maybe* one day we can stop comparing skin tones & just see each other as human beings…brothers & sisters. It was absolutely wonderful to see all of the beautifully diverse members in The Kingdom Choir! Every shade of blackness, body type, & hair texture! And that message was awesome! It *almost* made me want to go back to “church”, until I remembered the fact that “the church” is a revenue-generating BUSINESS, not a soul-winning institution.
May the One True God bless Meghan & Harry’s union. Amen.
Hannah, I can’t link to your video for some reason…
Hmmmm I wonder why. This is the direct link. https://youtu.be/IFoVmZag1wM Let me know if that works. It’s one of my favorite pieces. We received a standing ovation each night but what was most important is how many people said we shifted their way of thinking.
Ok, that worked! That was a poignant poem, a beautifully written, heart-wrenching piece. Any human *should* be touched to their soul. May God continue to bless your work, Hannah. Amen.
Thank you so much. Don’t make me cry. I am not crying today. Thank you.
I don’t want you to cry, I want to uplift you! Keep up all of your good work! I introduced your blog to my husband, he was impressed & he doesn’t even read blogs (mine included!).
Hannah, may I please reblog this?
Of course! Thank you!
Reblogged this on DUTY TO WARN and commented:
This is an amazing piece by Hannah Drake at WriteSomeShit.com.
Hannah: Thank you for inspiring me to “seize the moment” also! May God continue to bless your work.
Incredible post! Both Doria and Meghan stole my heart that day, and for so many reasons. Doria and Meghan are such strong women. I think it was incredibly brave of Doria to sit by herself as the only representative of Meghan’s family that day. Though Meghan’s as an emblem of modernity in terms of race, the fact that she is an American, an actress and a divorcee, is very groundbreaking, I can’t help but feel that having her mother play such an important role in the ceremony also speaks to so many single-parent families. I know that her father was unable to attend because of health problems and not due to the fact that he is an absentee father, but it was really nice to see Meghan have her mother act as the substitute father of the bride when Doria accompanied her to the church. In years to come, Doria will signify that a mother can be just as important in a marriage ceremony as a father. Both mother and daughter made history that day, and it was very moving to watch.