Since moving to Los Angeles, Meghan Markle hasn’t shied away from public speaking. From discussing gender equality and fair representation at The 19th summit to her heartfelt speech about the murder of George Floyd in an address to her former high school.
However, it looks like the Duchess of Sussex isn’t looking to stop any time soon.
Teaming up with Michelle Obama’s voter participation initiative, When We All Vote, Markle appeared via livestream for the ‘When All Women Vote #CouchParty’ virtual conference, to commemorate the centennial of the 19th amendment.
Appearing alongside Obama’s senior advisor Valerie Jarrett, actor and activist Yvette Nicole Brown, and famous DJ Diamond Kuts, Markle stressed the importance of women coming together, ensuring their voices are heard for this year’s U.S. Presidential election.
“When I think about voting and why this is so exceptionally important for all of us, I would frame it as: We vote to honour those who came before us and to protect those who come after us,” Markle said.
She continued: “That’s what community is about and that is specifically what this election is all about. We’re only 75 days away from election day and that is so very close and yet there’s so much work to be done in that amount of time.”
“We all know what’s at stake this year. I know it. I think all of you know it if you’re here at this fun event here with us,” she added. “You’re just as mobilised and energised to be the change that we all need and deserve.”
Markle also recognised that despite marking the centennial of the 19th amendment, which declared that voting rights can’t be denied based on sex, the historical milestone didn’t originally offer American women of colour the right to vote.
“As we look at things today, though it’s taken decades longer for women of colour to get the right to vote, even today we are watching so many women in so many different communities who are marginalised, still struggling to see that right come to fruition—it’s just simply not okay,” she said.
Markle continued, “We can and must do everything that we can to ensure that all women have their voices heard.”
“If we aren’t part of the solution, we are part of the problem. If you aren’t going out there and voting, then you’re complicit. If you’re complacent, you’re complicit. We can make the difference in this election and we will make the difference in this election.”
Speaking to Marie Claire U.S. in August, Markle announced that she will be voting in the 2020 Presidential Election, sharing why she’s chosen to vote since moving back to the U.S..
“I know what it’s like to have a voice, and also what it’s like to feel voiceless,” Markle said in the interview.
“I also know that so many men and women have put their lives on the line for us to be heard. And that opportunity, that fundamental right, is in our ability to exercise our right to vote and to make all of our voices heard.”
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