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Entertainment December 12, 2016
“Suits” actress Meghan Markle has opened up about her empowering and sometimes painful experiences as a mixed-race woman.
In a touching open letter published in Elle UK, the actress details her thoughts and responses to the same question many mixed-race children face: “What are you?”
“To describe something as being black and white means it is clearly defined. Yet when your ethnicity is black and white, the dichotomy is not that clear,” she writes. “In fact, it creates a grey area. Being biracial paints a blurred line that is equal parts staggering and illuminating.”
READ MORE: What the Word “Diversity” Means to Minority Women
Markle starts the essay by telling the story of how her parents used to make her feel like she “wasn’t different but special.” From customizing Barbie doll sets to create a mixed-race family to constantly reassuring her of her value, her parents did what they could to “protect” her.
In seventh grade, however, Markle had to choose a box to indicate her ethnicity. It was either white, black, Hispanic or Asian. Her teacher told her to check the box for Caucasian because “that’s how [she] looks,” but Meghan explains that she couldn’t bring herself to do that.
“I couldn’t bring myself [to] picture the pit-in-her-belly sadness my mother would feel if she were to find out,” she writes. “So, I didn’t tick a box. I left my identity blank – a question mark, an absolute incomplete – much like how I felt.”
READ MORE: 6 Challenges You Will Face as a Woman in an Interracial Relationship
When she told this story to her father, her father was angry and gave her advice that she has since carried with her. “If that happens again, you draw your own box,” he said.
Since then, Markle has tried to pave her own way, one that didn’t require her choosing one part of her identity over the other. This is why she is proud of her role as Rachel Zane in “Suits.” According to her, in an industry dependent on labels, it was refreshing to find producers who weren’t looking for a specific “type” of woman.
“They were simply looking for Rachel,” Markle shares. “In making a choice like that, the ‘Suits’ producers helped shift the way pop culture defines beauty.”
But despite this role and these steps towards changing the way society discusses mixed races, the 35-year-old actress still faces discrimination. For instance, when her relationship with Prince Harry was confirmed, Markle was harassed for being “almost straight outta Compton.”
READ MORE: Why Prince Harry Went Public With Girlfriend Meghan Markle
Nevertheless, Markle says she has healed. “While my mixed race heritage may have created a grey area surrounding my self-identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that,” she adds. “To say who I am, to share where I’m from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman.”
“I simply say: ‘Sorry world, this is not Lost and I am not one of The Others. I am enough exactly as I am.”
