Meghan Markle’s career in activism started when she was only 11 years old when she decided that she wanted to challenge a sexist TV commercial for the company Procter and Gamble. To express her concern against the ad, she wrote letters to people like Hillary Clinton who was the first lady of the United States back then. But not only her, Meghan also wrote to TV journalist Linda Ellerbee and attorney Gloria Allred, in addition to addressing a letter to the soap manufacturer itself. Meghan received back replies from all three women and news channels rushed to her home to cover the story – making her one of the youngest feminist activists the country has ever seen. Meghan spoke about how she accidentally entered the world of advocacy during The UN Women’s “20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing” event in 2015 about how her campaigning initiated a conversation that was impactful enough for the company to actually go ahead and change their commercial.
The following year, Meghan traveled to Rwanda and India as an ambassador for World Vision. World Vision is an organization that fights global poverty in children. The experience inspired her to write an op-ed in Time magazine about the effect stigma around menstruation can have on a girl’s future. Meghan has also taught students at a Mbandazi school how to paint using water from the brand new pipe installation to create watercolor paintings. After her visit, she brought the paintings to Canada to promote the students’ stories at an event called The Watercolor Project. The event raised $15,000 for World Vision, which then built a water source that could be used by an entire community.
Before Meghan started her journey in philanthropy as a member of the royal family, even with her successful acting career, she was a regular volunteer at soup kitchens in both Los Angeles and Toronto. She also worked with the youth empowerment nonprofit One Young World, the UN’s Women’s Political Participation and Leadership initiative, and the humanitarian organization World Vision. But activism wasn’t the only thing Meghan used up her time on. Even before she knew Harry, Meghan was already associated with some of the most famous people in the world like Serena Williams and Priyanka Chopra. Both Serena and Priyanka attended Meghan’s wedding in 2018 as well as other notable celebs like Oprah and Amal Clooney – both of whom have remained on friendly terms with Meghan.
But don’t be fooled, because Meghan’s journey in the world of acting didn’t just start out of nowhere. Before she was the Duchess of Sussex, she was a double-major in theater and international relations at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. During her 2018 speech at the University of the South Pacific, Meghan revealed that she applied for countless scholarships and financial aid programs while working different jobs to make sure that she was able to attend university.
In fact, Meghan actually secured an internship in the U.S. Embassy in Argentina during her junior year when she was just 20 years old which made her seriously consider a career in politics. However, her love for acting and the arts eventually led her into Hollywood where she once again worked freelance jobs like calligraphy and teaching bookbinding to support herself through acting gigs. She worked her way from guest spots and game shows to becoming a regular on a hit cable show, Suits, for seven seasons – while also battling racism in the industry that often prevented her from landing big roles.
Meghan Markle has always been a role model for women all over the world. Since her marriage to Harry, her role as an activist has only solidified as she continues to launch programs and support initiatives around the globe that advocate for solving problems such as poverty, illiteracy and racism. In April of 2020, the couple announced their new non-profit: Archewell which will help the Duchess as she plays her part as a global philanthropist
