"Silence Is Not An Option": Meghan & Harry's Trust Shares Support For #BlackLivesMatter

In the wake of the horrifying death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and protests calling for an end to systemic racism and police brutality, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle voiced their support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement with a powerful statement through the Queen's Commonwealth Trust.

While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have largely stepped back from their royal duties, they remain President and Vice President of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, an organization that works with young people within the 54 countries of the Commonwealth towards creating a "world where young people are equal partners in driving change." "We champion, fund and connect young leaders who are working hard to change the world," the website reads.

Using the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. the Queen's Commonwealth Trust wrote on Twitter on Monday that "young people are vital voices in the fight against injustice and racism around the world."

"As a global community of young leaders we stand together in pursuit of fairness and a better way forward," the statement continued. "Silence is not an option." The tweet also featured a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who famously once said "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

"We all have the power to effect positive change. It is time to speak up and speak out. Time to have uncomfortable conversations with ourselves and with others. Time to educate ourselves and unlearn. Time to come together and build a better future as one," the statement concluded.

This isn't the first time Markle, who is currently living in Los Angeles with Prince Harry and their 1-year-old son Archie, has spoken out against systemic racism. In 2012, she was featured in a video, shared by the Instagram fan page Duchess of Sussex, discussing her own personal experience with racism as part of the "I Won't Stand For" campaign. As a biracial woman, Markle talked about the pain of hearing racial slurs, once even hearing someone call "my mom the N-word." She added, "By the time I have children I hope that people are even more open minded."

Markle and Prince Harry's support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement through the Queen's Commonwealth Trust is no small thing. Traditionally speaking, the royal family tends to shy away from making statements that give a sense of political leanings or strong personal beliefs. But in this case, it appeared they felt strongly enough to make a stand because "silence is not an option."