Meghan Markle has praised the young people of today for their role in activism, in an empowering speech for young women.
The Duchess of Sussex delivered the speech at the Girl Up 2020 Leadership Summit via video, where she praised the audience of nearly 40,000 people for their role in the fight for equality.
“We have to speak up for ourselves and we have to speak out for others who struggle to be heard,” she told the viewers.
“Believing in true equality is not enough – it’s going to take more than belief, we have to work for it every day; even when it’s hard and even when it makes others feel uneasy.”
“There will always be negative voices and sometimes those voices can appear to be outsized, and sometimes they can appear to be painfully loud.”
“You can and will use your own voices to drown out the noise. Because that’s what it is – just noise,” she explained.
“But your voices are those of truth. And hope. And your voices can and should be much louder.”
“This is a humanity that desperately needs you to push it, to push us forcefully in a more inclusive, a more just and more empathetic direction,” Meghan encouraged the young people.
“On racial justice, on gender, climate change, mental health, on civic engagement and on public service, on so much more – that’s the work that you’re already out there doing.”
“Look, sometimes it’s not obvious what to do. Often, it’s fear that paralyses us and stops us from being brave and being bold. But don’t underestimate that you have some of the answers.”
“Don’t underestimate your ability to push through the fear. You have, rooted in your convictions, the ability to craft a world that you know is just and kind.”
“Your gut will tell you what’s right and what’s wrong; what’s fair and unfair. The hardest part – and it was the hardest part for me – is to chase your convictions with action.”
“I say to you, keep challenging, keep pushing, make them a little uncomfortable. Because it’s only in that discomfort that we actually create the conditions to reimagine our standards, our policies, and our leadership.”
“I will be cheering you on, so will my husband, so will Archie, as you all continue marching, advocating, and leading the way forward,” Meghan concluded.
The Girl Up Global Leadership Summit is part of an initiative started by the UN, which is “dedicated to securing equal opportunities for underprivileged adolescent girls in developing countries such as Ethiopia, Malawi, Guatemala, and India.”
The leadership summit was moved from it’s intended location in Washington to online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other high-profile speakers involved include Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton.
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