The Duchess of Sussex has a backed a campaign to "decolonise the curriculum" following a visit to City University in London this month.
The initiative, run by black academics and students, aims to confront the legacy of the British empire and calls for the appointment of university black and female thinkers and writers rather than solely the "male, pale and stale" ones, reports The Sunday Times.
“Just open up that conversation so we are talking about it as opposed to continuing with that daily rote," said the Duchess of Sussex after hearing a presentation on the subject by campaign leader Meera Sabaratnam. "Sometimes that approach can be really antiquated and needs an update."
When presented with a sheet of data showing that British professors were overwhelmingly white, the Duchess was shocked, saying, "Oh my god." The campaign also fights racial discrimination on UK campuses.
Sabaratnam expressed her delight in the royal supporting the initiative, saying it “wonderful to see the duchess standing up for female equality”, adding: “Many of the issues around racial equality are similar and it is great to see her embrace this. Change is long overdue.”
The Duchess visited City University as patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). Meghan has discussed her struggles with her bi-racial identity before, recounting an incident where she couldn't decide which race box to tick on a school form.
“You could only choose one, but that would be to choose one parent over the other — and one half of myself over the other. When I went home, I told my dad what had happened. He said the words that have stayed with me: ‘If that happens again, you draw your own box’.”
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