Meghan Markle described the 2022 Senate judiciary committee's questioning of prospective Supreme Court justice, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, as "gripping and painful" in the latest episode of her Archetypes podcast focusing on the stereotype of the "angry Black woman."
Meghan previously backed Jackson as the first Black woman to be nominated for a seat on the bench of the Supreme Court during a discussion with Anita Hill for URL Media, an organization partly funded by the royal's Archewell Foundation.
The duchess told Hill in March 2022: "Judge Jackson's nomination has opened new ground for women's representation at the highest level of a judicial system that for too long has tilted against the very community she hails from.
"For the millions of young women who will rightfully find inspiration from this moment, let's remind ourselves that Black achievement is something that exists not just today or yesterday, and not just in moments of celebration, but as a fabric woven into the entire chronicle of the American story."
During Jackson's questioning by the Senate judiciary committee, Sen. Marsha Blackburn famously asked her to define what a "woman" was. Jackson declined to answer the question on the grounds that she was "not a biologist."
The committee hearings earned those involved in asking Jackson the questions widespread criticism from the public, as it was held that representatives of both parties used the opportunity to air political grievances.
Sen. Ted Cruz was among them, asking Jackson during the hearings whether she believed "babies are racist," based on an interpretation of a children's book held in a school's library of which Jackson was a trustee.
"I remember watching these hearings in the spring of 2022," Meghan told Archetypes listeners in a discussion with author and academic professor, Emily Bernard.
"They were gripping and painful and in front of those senators on the judiciary committee, then Judge Jackson, she remained poised and composed, no matter what was happening for her underneath the surface."
Bernard told the duchess that the committee "tried to rattle her and get her to react in a way that they could characterize her according to their stereotypes of Black women. Angry, irrational, emotional, impulsive...all human emotions that Black women are often not granted the privilege of expressing."
Jackson was confirmed to the Supreme Court on April 7, 2022, as the first Black woman to be appointed to the bench in its 233-year-long history.
Meghan's Archetypes podcast seeks to "dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back."
The twelve episode series so far have examined the labels of "ambitious," "diva," "singleton," "dragon lady," "crazy" and "angry black woman."
Throughout the season the duchess has spotlighted guest-stars on each podcast including friend Serena Williams, pop-legend Mariah Carey, and actress Constance Wu.
New episodes are released each Tuesday, following a four week hiatus in September following the death of Meghan's grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
