Prince Harry spoke about racism in an interview with the Magazine.
Prince Harry has admitted that he didn't know unconscious racist bias existed until he stepped into his wife Meghan Markle's shoes. The Duke of Sussex spoke about racism in an interview with Black Lives Matter activist Patrick Hutchinson for the magazine, admitting that he was not prepared to understand the issue during his "upbringing and education".
'Once you realize or feel a bit uncomfortable, then it's your responsibility to go out and educate yourself because ignorance is no longer an excuse. And unconscious bias, to the best of my understanding, given the upbringing and upbringing that I had, I had no idea what it was. I had no idea it existed. And then, as sad as it is to say, it took me many, many years to realize it, especially after living a day or a week in my wife's shoes," Harry acknowledged.
“Every day is a learning process, and it's not really up for debate. These are the facts. This is what's happening,” he continued, “And it's been very interesting for me to sit through or live through this in America. But again, it will take each and every one of us to change things and anyone who is pushing against that really needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Because, as I said, this is not black and white," he said.
Harry's comments come after the royal couple called for an end to structural racism in the UK earlier this month. "As long as structural racism exists, there will be generations of young people of color who do not start life with the same equal opportunity as their white peers," Harry told the Evening Standard on October 1. "As long as that continues, the untapped potential will never be realized."
Harry spoke from his home in Montecito, California, for the GQ Heroes conference, which is taking place this week. In that same talk, Harry also joined more than 25,000 complaints about a Black Lives Matter-inspired dance routine on Britain's Got Talent last month, which featured a white police officer kneeling over dancer Ashley Banjo, referring to the murder of George Floyd in the United States.
The Duke of Sussex also spoke about how difficult the coronavirus pandemic lockdown has been, especially for men, saying: "For a lot of people, but especially men, I guess, they've all been suffering from some form of isolation for the last few eight, nine months."
“But for men who are isolated on their own, this can be a really dark place, unless you know the different solutions or different distractions that you can put in your life: whether it's going for a walk or a run or just doing something that makes you happy. keep fit.”
In the interview that took place on Monday, October 19, six weeks after Harry was first approached by GQ to ask if he would like to speak with Hutchinson as part of Black History Month, they spoke about a human concern for “ say the wrong thing."
Hutchinson told Prince Harry: "Everything is up for discussion because there's a lot to talk about and people shouldn't be afraid. I think that may be part of it. For some white people, I think they may be scared. They are afraid of saying the wrong thing, possibly.
Hutchinson saved alleged far-right protester Bryn Male, and the photograph went viral around the world. A male, a former police officer, was allegedly taunting Black Lives Matter protesters when he was slapped across the face and fell to the ground. Hutchinson, a personal trainer from Croydon, south London, rescued the man as angry mobs attacked him. Hutchinson had reportedly traveled to London with four friends to prevent young anti-racism protesters from being drawn into clashes with the far right.
When asked about his actions, Hutchinson told Prince Harry: "We were pleased that we were able to avoid a serious situation. Yes, I would do it for anyone and I would do it over and over again. It's just not something you think about. I know you've been in the military and I know you've seen some things that a lot of us haven't, so to me, I don't know, it's just a mindset. It's something you just have inside of you."
