This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
On July 13-15, 2020, Meghan Markle made her first public speaking appearance since stepping down from the royal family, addressing the Girl Up global leadership summit. The Duchess of Sussex joined the online summit, which aims to unite girls to change the world.
During her speech, Meghan encouraged young women to 'keep challenging, keep pushing' and make those in power 'a little uncomfortable.' She emphasized that 'the status quo is easy to excuse and it's hard to break,' but that it will 'pull tightest right before snapping.' Meghan urged the young women to 'keep pushing' and make those in power uncomfortable, as it is only in that discomfort that they will create the decisions to reimagine their standards, policies, and leadership.
Meghan also spoke about the need to 'drown out the noise' of negative voices, even when it 'makes others feel uneasy.' She said, 'You can and will use your own voices to drown out the noise. Because that's what it is - just noise. But your voices are those of truth. And hope. And your voices can and should be much louder.'
The Duchess added that people need to 'work' for 'true equality' every day - and not just believe in it. She praised the youngsters who have been actively pushing for equality, including those who took part in the Black Lives Matter protests. Meghan said, '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.'
More than 40,000 youngsters tuned in online to hear Meghan's speech. She is one of many high-profile women taking part in the Girl Up campaign, including Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Priyanka Chopra. The global leadership summit is part of a United Nations drive to bring about equal opportunities for underprivileged young girls in developing countries.
