Recently, Meghan Markle, a biracial woman, has gotten engaged to Prince Harry and it proves that people are still confused with how to label a mixed race woman (or man).
Markle has a Caucasian father and an African American mother, which, obviously, makes her biracial, both black and white.
In July of 2015, she published an essay in Elle called I’m More Than An ‘Other’.
Markle writes about her experience about being biracial as she both grew up and dove into the acting industry. As a mixed person myself, I could connect with this essay because she explains encounters that mixed people understand all too well.
In light of her engagement to Prince Harry, the reactions are all over the board. Some are excited about having a woman of color marry into royalty.
Prince Harry is engaged to Meghan Markle. We’re only reporting on this for cultural purposes because the actress is a Black woman. Markle’s father is white while her mother is AA. Yes, this makes her biracial, but all things considered, we’re claiming her as a Black woman. LMAAOO
— G. (@fraudelentacts) November 27, 2017
However, there are tweets that are not too pleased with reactions like those.
As far as I’m concerned Meghan Markle white. She’s biracial yeah blah blah blah… That’s not enough for me y’all can let the whites keep her… We don’t need to claim EVERYBODY with a dash of color as a victory folks it’s ok they can have her…
— Elliot Jackson (@Hunitproof) November 27, 2017
Apparently her “black mom” is actually half black herself, making this woman 25% black AT MOST.
This is a white woman.
— ?Pettywise (@berriesncream_) November 28, 2017
Needless to say, it is understandable as to why there are many black people that feel resentful toward light-skinned and mixed people. Due to people fetishizing light skin, it promotes colorism.
The uproar about Markle simply proves how mixed people are seen. She says in her essay for Elle, “I wasn’t black enough for the black roles and I wasn’t white enough for the white ones.” The issue is that society labels everyone. From the moment one sees another, the thought is: this person is black or this person is white. When seeing a biracial person, it is often for us to hear what are you?
Markle is in the middle of the two groups. She identifies as biracial. She is not a white woman nor a black woman, she is a biracial woman. Some black/African American people wish to ‘claim’ her because it is a woman who is not fully Caucasian accomplishing prosperous tasks, like becoming a successful actress and humanitarian to marrying into royalty, and because they can relate to that section of her background that is other than Caucasian.
