Meghan Markle Speaks at a Roundtable for Female Leadership
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Though the Duchess of Sussex has not made public appearances since her and Prince Harry's Oprah interview, she is still hard at work behind-the-scenes. Earlier this month, Meghan convened a roundtable with organizations Girls Inc. and National Women’s Law Center to elevate adolescent women's voices and promote female leadership.
The summit fell under the purview of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Archewell Foundation, the couple's philanthropic and creative organization. According to the Archewell site, "The Duchess believes girls’ voices can and should be heard, and through Archewell she focuses on providing them with the platforms, tools, and forums to help define a path forward and continue making an impact."
At the roundtable were Stephanie J. Hull and Fatima Goss Graves, the respective leaders of Girls Inc. and National Women’s Law Center, along with a group of 13- to 18-year-olds—primarily girls of color—who are part of Girls. Inc affiliates across America. The young women reflected on the struggles brought by COVID-19 and shared their plans for the future. The Duchess also discussed the impact of various trailblazing women throughout history, asking the girls to share their own role models.
"Girls Inc. is proud to have participated in a roundtable with The Duchess of Sussex and Archewell Foundation, along with the National Women's Law Center, that elevated the voices and experiences of girls. We believe girls are innately powerful and the leaders our future needs," Hull said in a statement. "We were honored to have Girls Inc. girls join The Duchess in a discussion about the issues that most affect them and the ways in which we can work together to drive social change and create a more compassionate and equitable world. We are grateful to have The Duchess as a champion and advocate for girls and women."
Graves concurred, also noting the importance of centering girls' experiences. "The National Women’s Law Center is thrilled to have joined The Duchess of Sussex and our friends at Girls Inc. to hear from girls directly about the challenges they are facing and their dreams for a more just and equitable future," she said. "Our work is always guided by those who are closest to the problem, and that is perhaps most true of our work in support of girls—and their right to learn and live with safety, equity, and dignity. In this moment as we begin to imagine what it is like to reopen and recover from the pandemic, we must seize the opportunity to center the experiences of girls—especially girls of color and LGBTQ+ youth— in how we reimagine our culture and curriculum, our policies and our priorities."
With Archewell, the Duke and Duchess hope to build up organizations that empower girls and women. Most recently, during Women’s History Month, Meghan participated in a virtual mentoring session with a teen girl who has been involved with both L.A. Works and the “I Have a Dream” Foundation. The Duchess has also been vocal about racial inequality, speaking out against systemic racism and police brutality.
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