Meghan Markle Opens Up About Feeling 'Voiceless' In Rare Statement
Having maintained her privacy since moving across the pond to the US, Meghan Markle has aired her thoughts to the media for the first time.
Speaking to Marie Claire as part of the title's '100 Influential Women on Why They’re Voting in the 2020 Election' feature, the Duchess of Sussex gave a rare statement, expressing her personal views on the right to vote.
'I know what it's like to have a voice, and also what it's like to feel voiceless. I also know that so many men and women have put their lives on the line for us to be heard. And the opportunity, that fundamental right, is in our ability to exercise our right to vote and to make all of our voices heard. One of my favourite quotes, and one that my husband and I have referred to often, is from Kate Sheppard, a leader in the suffragist movement in New Zealand, who said, "Do not think your single vote does not matter much. The rain that refreshes the parched ground is made up of single drops." That's why I vote.'
Markle's powerful and moving thoughts resonate as the US ploughs on with the upcoming presidential election despite this year's pandemic, with Joe Biden announcing Kamala Harris as his running mate earlier this week. In light of the Black Lives Matter movement, scrutiny of police brutality and the country's controversial approach to Covid-19, the pervading feeling is that voting matters more now than ever before.
Reinforcing Megan's sentiment were fellow A-listers, politicians and activists including Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, Hillary Clinton and Kerry Washington all urging readers to exercise their right to vote.
Notably, Tamika Palmer, Breonna Taylor's mother, also shared her thoughts, saying:
'I'm voting to elect leaders who will work for the people to end systemic racism. The time is over for career politicians who no longer have the best interest of our country at heart. I'm voting for change so that Breonna's death is not in vain.'
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