Meghan Markle Just Gave a Powerful Speech to Young Girls at a Virtual Summit
Meghan Markle gave the keynote speech at this year’s virtual Girl Up Leadership Summit, which is part of 2020’s “The Time Is Now” Women in Leadership Plenary. And what she had to say was powerful.
The Duchess of Sussex appeared on screen wearing a blue top and long, pin-straight hair, and she urged the young women watching to “chase convictions with action.”
“I want to share something with you,” she said. “It’s that those in the halls and corridors and places of power—from lawmakers and world leaders to executives—all of those people, they depend on you more than you will ever depend on them. And here’s the thing: They know this.”
Markle continued, “They know that all of you, at a younger age than any modern comparison, are setting the tone for an equitable humanity. Not figuratively, literally. 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. To not only frame the debate, but be in charge of the debate—on racial justice, gender, climate change, mental health and well-being, on civic engagement, on public service, on so much more. That’s the work you’re already out there doing.”
She added in her speech, “I know you have already done so much and made so many people’s lives better. The moment we are living through right now asks all of us to do more. It’s a moment where your voices, and your action, have never been more urgently needed.”
Watch the full video for yourself, below:
Meghan Markle gave a similar speech to her all-girls high school alma mater in June, during graduation season. “You are going to lead with love, you are going to lead with compassion, you are going to use your voice,” she said. “You are going to use your voice in a stronger way than you have ever been able to, because most of you are 18, or you’re going to turn 18, so you’re going to vote. You are going to have empathy for those who don’t see the world through the same lens that you do—because with as diverse, vibrant, and open-minded as I know the teachings at Immaculate Heart are, I know you know that Black lives matter. You are equipped, you are ready, we need you, and you’re prepared.”
Originally Appeared on Glamour
