Meghan Markle says ‘George Floyd’s life mattered’ in speech to former high school

Meghan Markle has provided some words of hope and encouragement to the graduating class of her Alma Mater. After the events of the past two weeks, including the murder of Minneapolis man George Floyd at the hands of police and the ongoing Black Lies Matter protests taking place across the U.S. and around the world, Markle’s previously scheduled speech took on a much different tone—one that was incredibly raw, emotional and powerful."For the past couple of weeks, I've been planning on saying a few words to you for your graduation and as we all have seen over the past few weeks, what is happening in our country and in our state and in our hometown of L.A. has been absolutely devastating," Markle told students at the all-girls Immaculate Heart High School. "And I wasn't sure what I could say to you. I wanted to say the right thing. And I was really nervous that I wouldn’t, or that it would get picked apart, and I realized the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing."

"George Floyd's life mattered and Breonna Taylor's life mattered and Philando Castile's life mattered and Tamir Rice's life mattered."

Duchess Meghan has shared a powerful video with @IHPandas Immaculate Heart High School’s class of 2020 for their graduation.#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/BzUmfnKICb— Omid Scobie (@scobie) June 4, 2020

Markle then named Floyd, as well as other unarmed Black civilians who lost their lives at the hands of the police. "George Floyd's life mattered, and Breonna Taylor's life mattered, and Philando Castile's life mattered, and Tamir Rice's life mattered, and so did so many other people whose names we know and whose names we don't know. Stephon Clark—his life mattered," said Markle.Markle’s philanthropic endeavors both before and after becoming a royal have been well documented and in her speech, the Duchess of Sussex remembered preparing to begin her required volunteering hours during her sophomore year. "One of my teachers, Ms. Pollia, said to me: 'Always remember to put others needs above your own fears,'” said Markle. “That has stuck with me throughout my entire life, and I have thought about it more in the last week than ever before."The Los Angeles native, who returned to her hometown earlier this year along with husband Prince Harry and son Archie, said that she was sorry that the graduating class had to grow up in a world where systemic racism and violence against people of color was still so widespread. "The first thing I want to say to you is that I’m sorry,” said Markle. “I’m so sorry you have to grow up in a world where this is still present."[video_embed id='1970467']RELATED: Unearthed video of Meghan Markle shows her speaking out about her experiences with racism [/video_embed]The ongoing unrest and sometimes violent protests happening throughout the US right now have brought up memories of a similar scene in 1992 when a group of police officers were acquitted of assault charges after beating and permanently injuring black taxi driver Rodney King. Comedian Leslie Jones appeared on Seth Myers’ show earlier this week and spoke about her own experience during what is commonly referred to as "The L.A. Riots." In the online speech, Markle also recalled the time after the acquittal, which sounds incredibly similar to events unfolding right now."I remember the curfew and I remember rushing back home and on that drive home, seeing ash fall from the sky and smelling the smoke and seeing the smoke billow out of buildings," she said. "I remember seeing men in the back of a van just holding guns and rifles. I remember pulling up to the house and seeing the tree that had always been there, completely charred. And those memories don’t go away."The daughter of a white man and black woman, Markle’s racist treatment by the British press was one of the catalysts for her family’s decision to step away from their duties as royals and move stateside. Even after years of enduring vicious headlines and slander in the press, Markle is continuing to use her platform to spread a message of hope and compassion. Urging the graduating class to use their voices as well—including in the voting booth—Markle ended her speech looking towards a brighter future. “You are going to have empathy for those who don’t see the world through the same lens that you do, because with as diverse, vibrant, and open-minded as I know the teachings at Immaculate Heart are, I know you know that Black Lives Matter,” said Markle.[video_embed id='1970253']BEFORE YOU GO: Keke Palmer’s empowering talk with National Guard goes viral [/video_embed]