Has Britain gone Black?

Billions of people watched Britain go Black if you took any kind of notice at how different the most recent royal wedding service was for British royal weddings. Nearly 30 million Americans watched this event on their TV’s. That is more than game 7 of the World Series last year. People stayed tuned in for this event probably because they wanted to see what is going to happen next since the church service was unlike anything we have ever witnessed at a royal wedding before. From the beginning of the ultra- white ginger Prince of England decided to date and fall in love with a mixed-race divorced older woman, people began to take notice.

Meghan doesn’t even look all that black with her freckles, light skin and straight hair but somehow her blackness became an issue for some. She is now an important historic member of the British Monarchy and she did it in a very unconventional way starting with walking into the church at Windsor Castle alone not even with a maid-of honor at her side. That was the beginning of a marriage between two cultures. There was a king mentioned by the black American Bishop Michael Bruce Curry but it wasn’t any English king. He spoke about the message and power of love from Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. We thought we tuned into seeing a royal wedding and then a black wedding broke out in a church filled with stiffed upper lipped extremely formal white British royalty, celebrities and just plain rich white folks in the congregation. You just can’t stop watching that!

Then there was the music that also had an extremely black presence. The black Gospel choir, The Kingdom Choir, sang a moving rendition of the classic song called Stand By Me which is never sung at weddings. Even the choir’s founder, Karen Gibson was surprised at the couple’s request for that song to be performed at their wedding. I have been involved in church music all my life and never saw a wedding quite like this. That song is such a deeply American song. You couldn’t tune out because then the 19 year old proficient black cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason performed a moving performance of subtle   classical music along with the traditional Ave Maria. This young accomplished performer   was personally asked by Meghan to perform at her wedding. Now this unknown talented young man is famous too.

British royalty has gone black when an American bi-racial woman is welcomed into the Royal family, a gospel choir performs at the event, a black preacher says the homily, black classical performer is featured, Oprah  and Serina Williams are guests and the mother of the bride shows up wearing dread locks. The recessional song was This Little Light of Mine, a negro spiritual traditional as a slave song from the south. When did you ever see a woman wearing dread locks sitting across from the Queen of England before? Never. That woman was Meghan’s mother the only family she invited to her wedding.

It is astonishing to be able to witness so many barriers being torn down in life and now to see it in British Royalty is a big step in unifying the world. It was a scene of inclusivity and warmth not usually seen in British Royals.  This event was a symbol that race differences and class differences are not all that important anymore. It is a new day in the Royal Menarche.  We all hope that this unique couple   can extend their reach globally to unite people and promote causes to help the world be on the same playing field in terms of eradicating disease, poverty and discrimination.