Meghan Markle has refused to stay silent in the wake of the tragic killing of George Floyd. The Duchess of Sussex used her platform to pay tribute to Floyd as she addressed her Alma Mater in a surprise commencement speech.

Markle poignantly told Immaculate Heart High School’s 2020 class:
    “For the past couple of weeks, I've been planning on saying a few words to you for your graduation, and as we've all seen over the last week, what is happening in our country and in our state and in our hometown of L.A. has been absolutely devastating.

    I wasn’t sure what I could say to you. I wanted to say the right thing. And I was really nervous that I wouldn’t or that it would get picked apart, and I realized — the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing. Because George Floyd’s life mattered and Breonna Taylor's life mattered and Philando Castile’s life mattered and Tamir Rice's life mattered, and so did so many other people whose names we know and whose names we do not know. Stephon Clark, his life mattered."

Markle also used the opportunity to reflect on her harrowing memories of the 1992 riots following the infamous Rodney King beating.
    "I'm so sorry that you have to grow up in a world where this is still present. I was 11 or 12 years old... it was the L.A. riots which was also triggered by a senseless act of racism. And I remember the curfew, and I remember rushing back home and seeing ash fall from the sky and smelling the smoke... and I remember seeing men in the back of a van holding guns and rifles. Those memories don't go away."

Markle went on to state that one positive thing to spawn from the riots is uniformity between citizens: "We are seeing people stand in solidarity, we are seeing communities come together and to uplift. And you are going to be part of this movement."

George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed May 25 at the age of 46. Chauvin, who has been charged with with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, was seen on video pressing his knee into the back of Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. Three other officers involved in the incident were eventually charged with aiding and abetting murder.

A plethora of celebrities have addressed the incident, including, Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, Miguel and many more.



Following Floyd's death, protests have taken place in all 50 states, with some morphing into violent riots, clashes with police, and looting.