"It's Good to Be Home": Meghan Joins The 19th* Virtual Summit

To close the inaugural The 19th* Represents Virtual Summit, the Duchess of Sussex moderated a discussion with founder and CEO Emily Ramshaw today. The 19th* is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom focused on gender, politics and policy. Back in January, Harry and Meghan shared their desire to work with grassroots news organisations, supporting their efforts to provide factual, fair and accurate information. As we've seen with Meghan over the past two years, she's an avid researcher and asked her team to contact the fledgling organisation. Founder Emily Ramshaw told CNN she was floored by the news and "nearly fell out of my chair". Ms Ramshaw added: "The Duchess basically said that the issues that we care about are issues that she's really interested in. Those things include super-high-quality media, gender equity, racial justice." The Duchess Zoomed in from her, Harry and Archie's new home in Santa Barbara.

The Duchess smiled as she told Emily (a fellow Northwestern alumni): "It's good to be home." During the conversation she said she was "just devastated" when she returned to the US following the murder of George Floyd. "It was so sad to see where our country was in that moment. If there’s any silver lining in that, I would say that in the weeks after the murder of George Floyd, in the peaceful protests that you were seeing, in the voices that were coming out, in the way that people were actually owning their role. It shifted from sadness to a feeling of absolute inspiration, because I can see that the tide is turning."

More from the 19th*:

'“From my standpoint, it’s not new to see this undercurrent of racism and certainly unconscious bias, but I think to see the changes that are being made right now is really — it’s something I look forward to being a part of,” Meghan said. “And being 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.”

During the conversation, Meghan expressed enthusiasm for The 19th’s mission and vision, remarking on the newsroom’s launch during a pandemic: “You just took that jump and you took that leap of faith. And I think there’s so much we can all learn from that, that in those moments where it might feel scary, you just need to trust your gut.”

“What’s so fascinating, at least from my standpoint and my personal experience the past couple of years, is that the headline alone, the clickbait alone, makes an imprint,” Meghan said. “That is part of how we start to view the world, how we interact with other people.” 

With the November election fast-approaching, Meghan stressed that voting is “incredibly important” to her; she said she’s even been talking to feminist icon Gloria Steinem about it. Meghan encouraged people not to take suffrage for granted, noting that her husband has never been able to vote.'

Meghan discussed the origins of the word 'suffragette' with Emily: "This term, coined by one man in 1906, has stuck as part of a movement. When you look at that, and look through that lens of the power of one person’s influence in the media to be able to shape an entire movement or way of thinking. If women had their voice heard as equally, how different that would have been?" She added: "People are craving change. In the place we’re all in right now, there’s such a moment where people are starting to question the systems we’ve always believed in."

People reports:

'Meghan also praised Ramshaw as a fellow mother making a difference in the world. "I know what it's like with a toddler," the Duchess of Sussex said, referring to son Archie. "There's not a lot of time."

"When I have these conversations about encouraging people to go out and vote, I think it's often challenging for men and women alike and certainly for people to remember just how hard it was to get the right to vote. And to be really aware and not taking that for granted," she said. "My husband for example — he's never been able to vote."

She added, "I really do hope what you're able to encourage and what we're able to see happen through The 19th* over the course of the next few months is that women understand that their voices are needed now more than ever — and the best way to exercise that is through voting."

Launched in April, the organisation is named after the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. On Tuesday, it is a century since the amendment was ratified. The milestone was achieved through decades of struggle, sacrifice and protest. Below, protesters outside the White House in 1917.

Over a hundred years later, The 19th* endeavours to continue the spirit of this work: "Today, women make up more than half of the American electorate and are more engaged than ever in our politics - marching on state capitols, voting at higher rates than men, and running for local office and seeking the presidency in record numbers. Yet they remain underrepresented in government and in the nation’s executive ranks. Women and gender diverse people are also underrepresented in politics and policy journalism and in newsroom leadership, which influences what stories are told, how the news is covered and whose voices are elevated."

CNN reports:

'Ramshaw was the editor-in-chief of the Texas Tribune for almost four years. She said she first contemplated a website like The 19th* during the 2016 election, when Hillary Clinton was on the ballot and when she was on maternity leave.

"I was outraged about the coverage in that moment and about how in this day and age, we were still having conversations about whether a woman was too shrill to be president," Ramshaw said. "I have those same feelings four years later. We had more women on the debate stage than we've ever had before [in 2020], and we're seeing those same conversations over and over." The frustrations made her "want to blow it all up and start over," she said.

Ramshaw said on the "Reliable Sources" podcast that creating an entirely new journalistic brand can be more effective than trying to fix these issues from within an already established news organization.

"The benefits of a brand new identity are truly limitless because you are freed from the confines of trying to change a massive bureaucracy or infrastructure," she said. "To be able to launch The 19th* in this moment in history beyond the pandemic, this sort of dual pandemic, of the pandemic within a pandemic of a racial reckoning right now, to be able to build a newsroom that is, 75 percent people of color from day one, to be able to build a leadership team that's three quarters women of color from day one... We have that kind of flexibility in a way that I think a lot of legacy newsrooms don't. And that is such a gift."'

Following the inception of the organisation in 2016 during the election, Emily Ramshaw couldn't have imagined just months after its launch names including Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, Melinda Gates, Stacey Abrams and a host of other well-known faces would be on the speaking list. It is a testament to the appetite which exists for quality reporting now more than ever. The full video on electability and women's representation from yesterday is below.

The appearance was Senator Harris' first interview since she was announced as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate earlier this week. Kamala has been a vocal supporter of Meghan for some time. 

Meryl Streep and Zoe Saldana read excerpts from historic speeches by American suffragists.

This area has been close to Meghan's heart throughout her life. During her time as UN Women's advocate for political participation and leadership, she said: "Women need a seat at the table. They need an invitation to be seated there, and in some cases, where this is not available, well then you know what, they need to create their own table. We need a global understanding that we cannot implement change effectively without women's political participation." I've said it before, I think it very likely we'll see Meghan working with the UN in an official capacity again.

The Meghan's Mirror team identified the Duchess' light orange top as a Hugo Boss style.

The light orange top in stretch silk is described as: "A sleeveless top by HUGO Womenswear, crafted in silk blended with stretch for enhanced comfort and shape retention. Styled for a regular fit, this lustrous top delivers a flattering silhouette with a curved hem at the front and a longer length at the back. A concealed zipper at the back adds a clean finish." It originally retailed for $228 before going on sale for $91.

Meghan accessorised with her Cartier Love Bracelet..

And Monica Vinader Linear Chain Bracelet.

**************

In other news, the Inspired by Meghan and Inspired by Harry campaign in honour of their birthdays continues until Harry's on 15 September. Donations are going to the incredible Camfed, supporting girls and young women through educational opportunities. The outstanding effort will soon surpass $100,000. If you would like to donate or find out more please click here.

Prince Harry has participated in the Netflix documentary Rising Phoenix. Harry has been privately involved since the start, with a representative telling Omid Scobie "the Duke is proud to have been one of the people who contributed to this film, which is a unique and powerful documentary that hopes to change the way people view disability - and tell the incredible story of the Paralympics".

It will be available to stream on 26 August:

'Rising Phoenix tells the extraordinary story of the Paralympic Games. From the rubble of World War II to the third biggest sporting event on the planet, the Paralympics sparked a global movement which continues to change the way the world thinks about disability, diversity & human potential.'

************

London hairstylist George Northwood worked closely with Meghan from her earliest days following the royal engagement to her final engagements in March. In a well-written and personal piece for Grazia, Northwood recalls: "My favourite fun memory has to be when they frightened me half to death jumping out at me on my birthday. It was such a silly moment but so sweet that they wanted to surprise me. Meghan has a great sense of humour so we would always be in fits of giggles, but then there would be these really surreal moments where we would sit thinking, "Is this really happening?" We would be sat in the dressing room like, "You’re the Duchess of Sussex, I'm your hairdresser and you're going to walk out that door and be the most photographed woman in the world in a minute." We tried to find humour in those pinching moments, just to stay grounded." George recalled the Australia tour and the level of attention to detail he saw from Meghan choosing earrings from small local designers. He also spoke of being there during challenging times: "When the outside negativity got relentless, I tried to make her feel empowered on the inside."

More from the piece:

'I was on the tour in South Africa when she spoke to ITV about the struggle she was facing being a new mum in the spotlight, and there was a real genuine vulnerability to her at that stage. For what little I could do to make the situation better, as her hairdresser, I just tried to make her feel the best version of herself and empowered. At that time I just wanted more than anything to be a friend and confidant.

Ultimately, she is one of the most caring, genuine and warm people I have ever met. She’s so deeply passionate about what she believes in and wanting to make a difference, you feel so inspired by how much she wants to make the world a better place. I learned so much about myself working with her and Harry. And actually, one of those lessons was what true love really is.

They’re really such a together team – watching them with everything that’s been thrown at them, it made me believe in love and soulmates.'

And that's a wrap for tonight. I hope you all have a lovely weekend!