Massachusetts-based bishop, Black Lives Matter activist, and NAACP chapter president Bishop Talbert Swan expressed his outrage after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were awarded the NAACP President’s Award.
The former royal couple issued a statement in February to thank the NAACP for the honor of receiving the award. They said, “It’s a true honor to be recognized by President Derrick Johnson and the NAACP, whose efforts to propel racial justice and civil rights are as vital today as they were nearly 115 years ago. We’re proud to support the NAACP’s work.”
NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement that the couple “together have heeded the call to social justice and have joined the struggle for equity both in the US and around the world.”
Among those who have won the award previously include Muhammad Ali, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Colin Powell, and Bill Clinton. The award was won in 2021 by Lebron James.
Swan asks, “What has [Harry] has done to advance the cause of justice for black people in America?”
In various statements on Twitter, Swan wondered what Prince Harry has “done to advance the cause of justice for black people in America?”
Swan also asked, “When was Prince Harry on the frontlines against police brutality and the extrajudicial murder of Black people?”
He continued, “When has he challenged America’s disparate response to Black people addicted to crack versus white people addicted to opioids?” and added, “When was Prince Harry on the frontlines fighting against mass incarceration of Black people and disparate sentencing laws?”
Swan challenged Harry to put his money where his mouth is and donate money to fight voter suppression causes in the U.S. He went on to ask Harry if he would put pressure on the Royal Family to offer reparations “to the descendants of Africans they enslaved across the Caribbean and in North America?”
Swan concluded by saying, “Get up out of my face defending an award from a leading civil rights organisation to this privileged son of colonizers who hasn’t even begun to use his influence and resources to fight for the cause of justice.”
Prince Harry and Meghan are sponsoring a new NAACP award
During the ceremony, Prince Harry and Meghan spoke about the new award that they are sponsoring for the NAACP. The award is named the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award. Meghan and Prince Harry’s charitable organization is named the Archewell Foundation.
In accepting the award, Prince Harry said, “This community knows what it means to speak up for what is right and to march forward is just. As the fight for justice still remains, it’s time to extend this march to the world online, a place where hate and discrimination are fueled instantly, propagated globally and felt deeply.”
The couple was joined by Meghan‘s mother, Doria, at the ceremony.