SUNY prof unpacks intersection of race, gender in Royal interview

Apr. 10—PLATTSBURGH — Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh's death Friday morning occurs a month after his recent hospitalization, which coincided with the drop of the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes' bombshell "CBS presents Oprah's interview with Meghan and Harry."

Portia Allie-Turco's reaction to the interview was there is an unspoken elephant in the room.

"And the unspoken elephant in the room is how we treat Black women," Allie-Turco, MS, a counselor and SUNY Plattsburgh professor, said.

"She is of mixed heritage, right, but I think this talks to this longstanding history of the world's hatred of the Black woman.

"If you look at this, we know there is a legacy here where we typecast Black women. We undermine and put her down."

'MISOGYNOIR'

Moya Bailey, author of "Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women's Digital Resistance" coined the term "misogynoir," which she defined "as the ways anti-Black and misogynistic representation shape broader issues about Black women."

"It addresses the misogyny that is directed toward Black women in American visual and popular culture," Allie-Turco said.

"I think that at the essence of it suggests no matter what, she (Markle) is going to have these critics because of her particular position in the world as a Black woman. It's all of these stigmas and stereotypes of Black women that we have."

The March 7 interview's aftermath exploded the careers of talk show hosts, Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain and Sharon Osbourne on "The Talk."

Morgan's doubt of Markle's veracity, even about her suicidal thoughts, is part of the setup in Allie-Turco's estimation.

"To create one of those predominate stereotypes: the strong Black woman, the hypersexual Black woman, the angry Black woman, or the Mammy," she said.

"We are looking to fit her in that typecast. We're looking to basically run her down, to discredit her. This is perpetuating that misogyny that is directed at Black women."

JOINING 'THE FIRM'

When Prince Harry married Meghan Markle May 19, 2018, in St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, where Prince Philip's funeral services will be held, she became the first woman of color to enter the British monarchy, known as "The Firm" by Royals.

"I think that it is interesting that when she is brave enough to come out and say something that other women have really not had the courage to say, this is how we react without knowing the facts because none of us do," Allie-Turco said.

As a mental health counselor, she can talk to the prevailing attitude of a lot of Black women, who identified with Markle.

"The idea that there's this underlying disregard, poor treatment and I would say, sounds like a strong word, hatred of Black women," she said.

"So, she's pregnant right now. Look at the statistics for Black women when it relates to prenatal care. We have the highest rate of mortality."

'RACSIM & HEALTH'

On April 8, Dr. Rochelle Wolensky, new director of the Centers for Disease Control, launched a new agency-wide initiative called "Racism and Health."

"What we know is this: racism is a serious public health threat that directly affects the well-being of millions of Americans," Wolensky stated in a commentary on the CDC website.

"As a result, it affects the health of our entire nation. Racism is not just the discrimination against one group based on the color of their skin or their race or ethnicity, but the structural barriers that impact racial and ethnic groups, differently to influence where a person lives, where they work, where their children play, and where they gather in community.

"Over generations, these structural inequities have resulted in stark racial and health disparities that are severe, far-reaching and unacceptable."

Allie-Turco says look at post-partum depression in Black women. Look at mental health issues in Black women. Look at how Black women are treated in the medical community.

"Look at Serena Williams," she said.

"We are talking women of means, who are reporting to us that the system doesn't listen to them, it doesn't care about them, and we know research is telling us that we are dying.

"We don't get mental health help because we don't get high quality care, and high-quality care meaning that it's timely, it's culturally appropriate, it's safe, that we trust it, and so on."

Research shows Black women have similar rates of depression.

"But, they tend to get less help because of these prevailing stereotypes, these prevailing treatments, this ongoing bashing, hatred, the mistreatment of the Black female body," she said.

"We can talk to the idea that even when we try and be strong that hurts us. Because being strong means we are less likely to look at healthcare. We are less likely to get the treatment we need."

CENTURIES OF AGGRESSION

Allie-Turco, a native of South Africa, centers the Duchess of Sussex's interview on Black women in the African Diaspora.

"It's a systemic thing that starts from when Black girls are little," she said.

"We want to over sexualize them. We adultify them. We promote this idea that they are not ladylike. There are ladies, and then there are Black women."

This ideation was forged during colonization and the trans-Atlantic slave trade, a global enterprise where prisoners-of-war were sold to the highest bidder.

"In slavery, Black women were stripped of the idea of protection," she said.

"They were sexualized against their will and could be assaulted without consequence. The earliest case is from about 1850 when a slave girl killed her master because of being assaulted repeatedly and getting pregnant.

"When she defended herself, she was hanged. We got to look at this from the framework of the Black woman's position in the world."

STATUS NO SHIELD

In the context of the Duchess of Sussex's interview, Allie-Turco poses: Do we take her seriously? Why are we questioning if she is suicidal? Why can't we take that at face value and see what kind of help could she access?

"Well, if we look at what kind of care she could access, we would find that there is a disparity in care because of those systemic issues that we don't want to talk about," she said.

"So even at that level, she felt that she couldn't care. With all of those resources, and all of that position, and all the money, she didn't feel like anybody would listen and she didn't have anywhere to turn. So, what about women who don't have those resources?"

For Allie-Turco the interview became more than just about the Sussexes.

"It just brought us back to this ongoing discussion about diversity, equity and inclusion," she said.

"It's talking to mental health, and I think for me primarily, we are not doing enough to highlight the position of Black women in the world and show the oppression that still continues, and I will say hatred. I'm going to say oppression, and I'm going to say hatred.

The interview also raises questions about the 1,200 year-old institution, once the British empire "on which the sun never sets."

"So before go judging her, whether it's true or false, we know this is a very public family with a lot of power, systemic power, generational power, over brown and black bodies," Allie-Turco said.

"What have they done to address that? So that we can judge for ourselves if, indeed, Meghan Markle is making it up."

Email Robin Caudell:

rcaudell@pressrepublican.com

Twitter:@RobinCaudell