Meghan Markle urges young women to ‘push’ for change because ‘humanity desperately needs you’

The Duchess of Sussex has called on young women across the world to keep ‘pushing’ for a ‘more inclusive’ and ‘more just’ society during an impassioned speech.

Speaking via video call at a gender equality and female empowerment summit, Meghan Markle urged young people to use their voices online and offline to ‘build each other up’ instead of ‘breaking each other down’. The duchess also drew inspiration from the Dalai Lama, saying: ‘”Compassion is the radicalism of our time”. Compassion means seeing the pain and suffering of others and knowing it’s our duty to try to help relieve it.’

During the summit, organised by UN initiative Girl Up, Meghan, 38, also urged delegates to ‘push through’ their fear to challenge ‘lawmakers and leaders and executives’ because ‘this is a humanity that desperately needs you’.

The duchess was joined by former First Ladies Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, along with close friend Priyanka Chopra Jones, to address a number of issues, including gender inequality and racial injustice, as well as gun violence, climate change and mental health awareness.

Referencing her family – including husband Harry who apologised for endemic racism during a recent impassioned speech – Meghan said: ‘I will be cheering you on, so will my husband, so will Archie, as you continue marching, advocating, and leading the way forward.’

In the closing keynote speech to the 2020 Girl Up leadership summit, the duchess said: ‘This is a humanity that desperately needs you.

‘To push it, to push us, forcefully in a more inclusive, more just, and more empathetic direction and to not only frame the debate, but be in charge of the debate-on racial justice, gender, climate change, mental health and wellbeing, on civic engagement, on public service, on so much more. That’s the work you’re already out there doing.

‘Girl Up members are organising Black Lives Matter protests around the world, you are creating films to encourage your peers to become activist leaders, you are reforming the criminal justice system, we need more mental health resources for all ages, you are leading coalitions to end gun violence.

‘You are standing up and demanding to be heard, yes, but you’re also demanding to own the conversation.’

Girl Up was created by the UN Foundation in 2010 to help support UN agencies that focus on adolescent girls.

Meghan, who is an active humanitarian campaigner, has spoken out on women’s empowerment for a number of years after engaging in activism as a young child.

At the age of 11 she wrote a letter to then-first lady Hillary Clinton and other high-profile figures complaining that a soap advert implied women belonged in the kitchen. Her efforts forced the manufacturer to change the advert.

The duchess recently gave a moving speech to students at her former school, the Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, telling them she was ‘absolutely devastated’ over racial divisions across the world following the death of George Floyd. She told students that Mr Floyd’s life ‘mattered’ and that ‘the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing’.

Meghan went on to say women often get a verbal brush off from those in power but encouraged activists to keep fighting for what they believe in, adding that she believes ‘we are on the precipice of transformation’.

She added: ‘So if that’s the case, I say to you, keep challenging, keep pushing, make them a little uncomfortable.

‘Because it’s only in that discomfort that we actually create the conditions to re-imagine our standards, our policies, our leadership; to move towards real representation and meaningful influence over the structures of decision-making and power.’

The duchess also said that to create change, all members of society would be needed.

‘The path to get there will take all of us: girls and women, men and boys, it will take those that are black and those that are white collectively tackling the inequities and structural problems that we know exist,’ she said.

‘We can accelerate the pace of change, and we don’t have to be satisfied with the current speed of progress.’

Meghan also highlighted inspirational women like New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who had ‘brought New Zealand together to swiftly and boldly tackle Covid-19’.

And she urged the delegates to have faith in their convictions: ‘Look, sometimes it’s not obvious what to do. Often, it’s fear that paralyses us and stops us from being brave and being bold. But don’t underestimate that you have some of the answers.

‘Don’t underestimate your ability to push through the fear.’

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