"This is about learning"

Harry & Meghan Call Out UK's Structural Racism In New Interview

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are calling for social change to kick off Black History Month in the UK. In a new joint interview with The Evening Standard, the couple spoke on structural racism in Britain and shared a list of inspiring young Black leaders, called the "BHM Next Gen Trailblazers." Read on for Harry and Meghan's new comments.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle led off Black History Month by calling for an end to structural racism in the UK.

On Oct. 1, the couple unveiled a new campaign in an interview and essay published with The Evening Standard. In the pieces, they outlined "hopes for equality" and named the Black Britons leading this change in a list called BHM Next Gen Trailblazers.

Prince Harry & Duchess Meghan's Black History Month action

Appearing via video from their Santa Barbara home, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spoke on racism, equality, and the need for openness to education. "For me, it's awareness, it's education, and it's teaching," Harry explained, describing his "awakening" to the problem of racial injustice.

"Because I wasn't aware of so many of the issues and so many of the problems within the UK and also globally as well. I thought I did but I didn't," he added. "It is not about pointing the finger, it is not about blame. I will be the first person to say, again, this is about learning."

Speaking on the Black Lives Matter movement, Meghan said: "While it has been challenging for a lot of people certainly having to make this reckoning of historical significance that has got people to the place that they are — that's uncomfortable for people. We recognize that. It's uncomfortable for us."

Echoing earlier sentiments, they again explained that some receive their views as "inflammatory," Meghan said, and they "may seem controversial," Harry added. But their message is one of equality with emphasis on representation and conversation, and the Duchess believes that this "uplift and positivity" should be received with excitement.

Harry and Meghan name influential Black Britons for BHM

They added that Black History Month is a "wonderful celebration," and in working with the Standard they hope to use their platform to "start a conversation and introduce people to the Black community that are making a massive difference within their own communities and across the UK as a whole as well."

Along with their BHM Next Gen Trailblazers list, the Sussexes likewise laid out their thoughts in an article with the Standard. "For as long as structural racism exists, there will be generations of young people of color who do not start their lives with the same equality of opportunity as their white peers. And for as long as that continues, untapped potential will never get to be realized," they wrote.

Harry and Meghan joined the Standard from their home in Santa Barbara, where Meghan's pet beagle even joined the interview at one point. The video chat was their first with a UK outlet since leaving the country earlier this year.