「故郷に戻って良かった」　人種差別に声上げるとメーガン妃

【ニューヨークＡＦＰ＝時事】ヘンリー王子と共に英王室を離脱したメーガン妃は14日、故郷の米国に戻って来た喜びを表明し、米国で人種差別に反対する声を上げ、良い変化を起こす運動を計画していると語った。（写真はメーガン妃〈左〉とヘンリー王子）
　夫妻は今年１月に英王室の離脱を発表し、カナダを経由して米国に移住した。
　メーガン妃は、スタッフの圧倒的多数を女性が占める新興ニュースメディア「Ｔｈｅ　１９ｔｈ」が主催するサミットのため、Ｔｈｅ　１９ｔｈのエミリー・ラムショー最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）にメディアにおけるジェンダーの役割についてインタビューし、その中でラムショー氏からの幾つかの質問にも答えた。
　今年５月に武器を持っていなかった黒人男性ジョージ・フロイドさんが警察の拘束下で死亡したことを機に米国内の制度的な人種差別が露呈し、黒人の母親を持つ同妃にとって、そうした中で米国に戻るのは「やりきれない」思いだったという。
　だが、平和的な抗議活動が全国に広がり、長年の差別に反対する黒人たちの声がメディアの報道を占めるようになったことで心情が変化し始めたという。「悲しみから鼓舞される気持ちにすっかり変わった。それは、潮目が変わってきていることが見て取れるから」
　「私の立場からすると、人種差別や明らかに無自覚の偏見が根底にあるのを目にするのは今に始まったことではない」と、ロサンゼルス育ちのメーガン妃は語った。
　「でも、今起きている変化を目にすると…私がその一部になり、最近できていなかった方法で私自身の声を使ってその変化に加わることを楽しみにしている」「だから、故郷に戻って良かった」と付け加えた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/08/17-13:02）

Meghan Markle said Friday she was pleased to be back in America, where she plans to speak out against racism and campaign for positive change in her home country.
Markle and husband Prince Harry relocated to the United States via Canada this year after announcing in January that they were quitting frontline British royal duties.
The Duchess of Sussex, who is mixed race, said it was devastating to return as America's systemic racism was laid bare following the death in police custody of unarmed black man George Floyd in May.
But her feelings began to change as the country became gripped by widespread peaceful protests, and airwaves became dominated by black voices speaking against decades of discrimination.
It shifted from sadness to a feeling of absolute inspiration because I can see that the tide is turning, she told a summit hosted by The 19th*, a new news organization overwhelmingly staffed by women.
From my standpoint it's not new to see this undercurrent of racism and certainly unconscious bias, said Markle, who grew up in Los Angeles.
But I think to see the changes that are being made right now is... something that I look forward to being a part of and being a part of using my voice in a way that I haven't been able to of late.
So yeah it's good to be home, she added.
The Suits actress, who was interviewing The 19th*'s CEO Emily Ramshaw about the role of gender in media, also hinted at her and Harry's troubles with tabloid papers.
Since stepping back from the royal front lines, Harry and Meghan have waged an increasingly bitter war with the media, particularly the British tabloid press.
Markle has brought a high-profile case against the Mail on Sunday, website Mail Online and its owner Associated Newspapers.
- 'Toxicity' -
She claims breach of privacy, data protection rights and copyright over the publication of extracts of correspondence to her estranged father, Thomas, after her wedding to Harry.
Last month the couple filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles against one or more paparazzi whom they accused of taking pictures of their son Archie without their permission.
I think what's so fascinating, at least from my standpoint and my personal experience the past couple years (is) the headline alone, the clickbait alone makes an imprint, said Markle.
She added that there is so much toxicity in certain news coverage.
My husband and I talk about it often - this 'economy for attention'... what is monetizable right now when you're looking at the digital space and media.
And so if you're just trying to grab someone's attention and keep it you're going for something salacious versus something truthful, said Markle, 39.
Prince Harry has likened what he said was a ruthless campaign against his wife to the treatment of his mother, Diana, princess of Wales.
She was killed in a high-speed car crash in Paris in August 1997, while being pursued by paparazzi photographers.
Markle and Harry have spoken of their desire to to do something of meaning, to do something that matters, in California, where they plan to launch a wide-ranging non-profit organization named Archewell.
They recently moved into a new family home in Santa Barbara, according to US media reports.