Here’s why Meghan Markle’s speech about gender equality was so powerful

Here’s why Meghan Markle’s speech about gender equality was so powerful

10/01/2019

Meghan Markle’s royal tour of Africa continued on October 1 with a powerful speech at the University of Johannesburg. The Duchess of Sussex attended a roundtable discussion with the Association of Commonwealth Universities at the institution. Markle, a patron of the institution, spoke about the importance of gender equality in education, and the importance of empowering women, something she remains committed to doing. The speech comes just two days after Markle Skyped a group of young women in Malawi at the Nalikule College of Education in support of girls’ education.

“Sometimes access to education can seem so big, you wonder where to even begin,” said Markle (via People). “So you begin with one student, or one school, you simply begin. And that’s when we see change.”

Meghan Markle's speech emphasized the importance of education for women

It’s not just all talk, either. The Duchess of Sussex announced a set of gender grants intended to improve access to the school. She also announced four new scholarships that will allow students to study abroad. “The goal here is to be able to have gender equality, to be able to support women as they are working in research and higher education roles,” said Markle. “And also to be able to have workshops, convene things that are really helping people understand the importance of gender equality.”

One of her most powerful statements centered around just how important women’s education is. “When a woman is empowered it changes absolutely everything in the community and starting an educational atmosphere is really a key point of that,” she said.

Meghan Markle spoke about her own college education

Markle, a graduate of Northwestern University, also opened up about her own college years and how scholarships helped her get an education. “It takes a village, doesn’t it, to sort of piece it together for people to be able to finance that,” she said. “Families chipping in, scholarship, financially all those things that were the reason that I was able to attend university.”

Markle is now paying forward the assistance she received by helping other young women obtain an education, and it’s something she clearly takes very seriously, admitting near the end of her speech, “It’s very exciting today. And I will use a note card for this because my goodness, it’s this last bit that I can’t screw up!”

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