Prince Harry revealed he did not know unconscious bias existed until his marriage to Meghan Markle.
In an interview with Black Lives Matter activist Patrick Hutchinson for GQ magazine, the Duke of Sussex, 36, spoke about racism. Harry admitted his “upbringing and education” did not prepare him to understand the issue.
Harry said: “Once you realise or you feel a little bit uncomfortable, then the onus is on you to go out and educate yourself because ignorance is no longer an excuse.
“And unconscious bias, from my understanding, having the upbringing and the education that I had, I had no idea what it was. I had no idea it existed. And then, sad as it is to say, it took me many, many years to realise it, especially then living a day or a week in my wife’s shoes.”
Unconscious bias is having prejudiced views about a certain group of people, such as of people from an ethnic minority, without being aware of it. Patrick Hutchinson, made headlines around the world in June when he carried a white protester to safety in London.
The U.K activist said it can be an “uncomfortable conversation” especially for a white person.
“Who wants to be told that they may potentially have a little bit of racism in in them?“[How do you] tell the working-class white person that’s worked really hard all their life to get where they are that they’ve had a leg up?“They’re not going to have that and this is where the problem lies.”
Prince Harry, who was speaking from his mansion in LA, said he feels optimistic for the future.
“There’s lots of work to do. But I genuinely feel as though the world is actually very much heading in the right direction,” he said. “But, inevitably, a lot of the pain has to come to the surface before we can actually turn the page and start the new chapter.”
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