Meghan Markle Joins Effort To ‘Decolonize Curriculum’ In British Universities

Since becoming a Patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Meghan Markle has joined the effort to shake up the complexion of the British universities that need “decolonizing,” as they are overwhelmingly white. There is a movement afoot to shake up the current state of “male, pale, and stale” that runs through the United Kingdom in higher education.

Express says that Duchess Meghan has jumped into her patronage positions with both feet in an effort to make a difference, despite being a royal family newbie. The duchess read the data from 2018 by the Equality and Higher education staff statistical report which says that out of the 14,205 male professors in the British university system, more than a startling 12,000 were white and only 90 identified as black.

In the last few years, students on campus have been pushing back at this statistic, protesting statues and dedications on campus that are said to glorify slave-holding.

In 2016 Oxford University students joined a campaign to have a statue of Cecil Rhodes removed from one of the universities. Rhodes, a 19th-century slave owner, was “responsible for all manner of stealing land, massacring tens of thousands of black Africans, imposing a regime of unspeakable labor exploitation in the diamond mines and devising proto-apartheid policies,” according to the students.

Duchess on Campus! See Every Photo from Meghan Markle's Visit to City, University of London https://t.co/cp0w2T880G

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Upon reading the data sheet, Markle was said to exclaim, “Oh my God,” shocked at how little diversity was reflected in university life as compared to the United States. She was particularly surprised to learn that less than two percent of professors are described as minority and female.

Meghan Markle isn’t letting her pregnancy slow her down as she is immersing herself into the life of a working royal says People Magazine. In addition to becoming a university patron, the duchess has gotten on board with other causes that are close to her heart.

Markle has taken over for Queen Elizabeth as the royal patron of the National Theatre, which seems a natural fit considering her former career as a working actor. Next, the duchess has gotten on board as a patron of animal welfare charities, making several visits to shelters and rescues around London.

For her fourth patronage, Duchess Meghan is working to help those identified as the vulnerable female population which helps unemployed women retrain and prepare to get back into the job market.

After the birth of baby Sussex, the duchess is expected to take a break before returning to her regular schedule.