The world is still talking about Meghan Markle’s revealing sit-down with Oprah Winfrey. In the two-hour interview, Meghan spilled all the beans about the racism, classism, and daily negative tabloid fodder she says she experienced during her two years in the Royal Palace.
While Meghan’s experience is one that is very specific, the themes of the microaggressions she experienced as a Black woman in a predominately white world, coupled with ancient practices, is nothing new. But one person who sympathizes with Meghan’s experience is actress LisaRaye McCoy.
At one point, McCoy was married to the former Chief Minister of Turks & Caicos, Michael Misick. Like Meghan, McCoy gave up her job as a Hollywood actress in order to assimilate into her new role as First Lady. she moved her family and her life to the island and was not exactly welcomed with open arms by the community. Despite her successful efforts in bringing a new level of culture, publicity, and tourism to the island, she was viewed as an outsider and her motives were questioned.
While holding back tears, McCoy compared the experiences of her and Meghan during the Cocktails and Queens segment of Out Loud with Claudia Jordan.
“I get it. I understand,” she began “I absolutely understand when she [Meghan] said that she had to turn over her passport, and her keys, she stopped driving, she had to have security, and part of your life becomes tunnel vision.”
She continued: You leave all that you know. You leave all your friends, you leave all your family behind for this whole new world that you want to be accepted in and that you have turned your back on all that you know to become this and when you’re not accepted, that’s a big ass blow. Not only to your ego, to your self-esteem, but to your life and what your commitment was to your husband to start this brand new life in his place.”
Unlike in her marriage to Misick, McCoy praised Harry for stepping in and rescuing Meghan and their son from future damage by distinguishing their titles and moving to America.
“What I love is that [Harry] love her enough to say ‘Let’s go.’…But to be someplace where you feel you’re not supported, you’re not accepted, you’re not fulfilled, you feel no love, and you gotta hide it, and you gotta be ‘on,’ come on, you didn’t sign up for that,” she said. “I didn’t sign up for that either and although mine was just a little smidget of hers, I identify with what she’s saying and it’s sad. I’m glad that they got out. The healing has not even begun, I don’t believe because she’s letting it out just now. I’m so glad that she has the courage and her husband to be able to stand in their truth and to be able to say it because this is 2021. We’re not back in the 1800s anymore. You cannot rule the same way.”
