{International Day of the Girl}

Celebrate the International Day of the Girl with 

Malala Yousafzai and 

the Duke and Duchess of Sussex:

[Click to hear and see the sweet interview that Malala did 

with Harry and Meghan]

Nearly 130 million girls were out of school before the pandemic — and an additional 20 million girls may have their education cut short because of it.

Since April, Malala Fund has been working with our Education Champions to ensure girls continue learning during the COVID-19 crisis. And we are investing an additional $3 million in grants to education organisations who are working to make education systems safer and stronger in the countries where we work.

As the world works to rebuild, our goal should not be a return to the way things were but instead a renewed commitment to the way the world should be, a place where every girl can learn and lead.

{Day of the Girl}

October 11 is the International Day of the Girl. In a tribute, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, posted a special message, including photos of her teenage self, on the Sussex  Royal Instagram page. The Duchess has long been an articulate advocate for girls and women, including speaking at the United Nations on their behalf.

Enjoy this story by Katie Nicholl for Vanity Fair.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in South Africa 2019

{Harry & Jane}

 “Just one week after Prince Harry and Dr. Jane Goodall shared a dance and ‘chimpanzee greeting’ during an event for young conservationists, British Vogue published an enlightening conversation between the two as part of the September issue guest edited by Meghan Markle,” wrote Carly Ledbetter in HuffPost.

“The prince and the primatologist discussed the environment, slowing down climate change, and not having too many children in the article….”

From the sussexroyal Instagram account: “Roots and Shoots is a global youth service program founded by Dr. Goodall in 1991. She has created and encouraged a global youth community to recognize the power of their individual strength—that each day you live, you can make a difference.”

{Forces for Change}

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, is the guest editor of the September issue of British Vogue (out today!) titled “Forces for Change” — learn about her empowering vision for women and girls and the world:

From Chevaz Clarke at CBS News:

“To have the country’s most influential beacon of change guest edit British Vogue at this time has been an honour, a pleasure and a wonderful surprise,” the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, said of the historic collaboration. “As you will see from her selections throughout this magazine, she is also willing to wade into more complex and nuanced areas, whether they concern female empowerment, mental health, race or privilege.”

From Page Six by Elana Fishman:

“The Forces for Change” issue highlights a “diverse selection of women from all walks of life, each driving impact and raising the bar for equality, kindness, justice and open mindedness,” according to a post from the Duchess and Duke of Sussex’s official Instagram account shared.

Jacinda Ardern

The lineup, photographed for the cover by Peter Lindbergh, includes models/activists Adwoa Aboah, Adut Akech and Christy Turlington, Somali boxer Ramla Ali, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, diversity advocate Sinéad Burke, “Crazy Rich Asians” star Gemma Chan and actress and LGBTQ+ advocate Laverne Cox, notably the first trans person to ever appear on the title’s cover.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

It also features actresses/activists Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek and Yara Shahidi, Royal Ballet principal Francesca Hayward, body positivity warrior Jameela Jamil, feminist author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and teen climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Additionally, there’s a 16th spot on the cover featuring a silver reflective mirror, so readers can see themselves amongst these change-makers.

Also inside the issue? An exclusive interview between Markle, 37, and former first lady Michelle Obama as well one between Prince Harry and legendary primatologist Jane Goodall, along with a guest editor’s letter penned by Markle.

Adut Akech

“These last seven months have been a rewarding process, curating and collaborating with Edward Enninful, British Vogue’s editor-in-chief, to take the year’s most-read fashion issue and steer its focus to the values, causes and people making impact in the world today,” the Duchess of Sussex told the magazine.

“Through this lens I hope you’ll feel the strength of the collective in the diverse selection of women chosen for the cover as well as the team of support I called upon within the issue to help bring this to light. I hope readers feel as inspired as I do, by the ‘Forces for Change’ they’ll find within these pages.”

Greta Thunberg

Enninful told British Vogue that Markle declined to appear on the cover herself. “From the very beginning, we talked about the cover — whether she would be on it or not,” he explained. “In the end, she felt that it would be in some ways a ‘boastful’ thing to do for this particular project. She wanted, instead, to focus on the women she admires.”

Still, according to Lindbergh, that didn’t stop Markle from being hands-on when it came to photographing the issue’s cover. “My instructions from the Duchess were clear: ‘I want to see freckles!'” the famed photog told the glossy. 

......................

Click here for more about the 15 women and girls featured, link to Huffington Post UK....

{Top Feminist Moments in 2018}

The Top 10 Feminist Moments 

That Defined 2018

...enjoy the short video...

{When They Go Low, We Go High}

Most of us have experienced hearing that people have said unkind things about you...gossipy, mean-spirited, small-minded comments that come from their own smallness, thin-skin ego, and cry for attention.

What Meghan Markle has heard or read that dysfunctional members of her estranged family have said about her is unfortunate...and perhaps not surprising in our rude world of Trumpery.

Read this article by Brittany Wong for HuffPost: "How Meghan Markle Should Deal With Her Family, According to Therapists" to be reminded of handling such cruelty...or like Michelle Obama said amidst the mean and crude comments from Donald J. Trump: "When they go low, we go high!" 

{Channeling Kindness}

In celebration of the upcoming royal wedding, I'm writing a limited-edition series, "Why Royal Weddings Matter," for Confluence Daily. I've reprinted one of the columns here...because "kindness" is at the heart of why I began this blog after the election in 2016! Enjoy....

.......................................................

Channeling Kindness

“Well, is he nice?” Meghan Markle asked about Prince Harry of Wales when a well-connected friend offered to arrange a blind date between the two famous thirty-somethings. Only familiar with the royals via media headlines, she explained, everything else about the prince was a moot point for her “if he wasn’t kind.”

As most of the world now knows, the couple got engaged last fall and will marry in May. It appears Meghan, an activist and humanitarian, found a common spirit in her kind-hearted prince. They have already made a dynamic partnership in their altruistic work together focused on the youth of the world. “Meghan is going to be a force,” People magazine reported, citing a palace source. “She will help him define his role and relate to the public in a way that he wouldn’t have been able to do before. It was worth the wait.”

Harry and Meghan want as many people as possible to benefit from the generosity of spirit that bubbles up around wedding celebrations. So, continuing the precedent set by William and Kate (and now the trend with regular couples, who were, in turn, inspired by the young royals), they are asking the public to “channel kindness,” noted Natalie Hinde in Huffington Post, requesting any wedding gifts be made in the form of a donation to one of their personally selected charities—they chose seven “which reflect their shared values.” (Plus, I doubt they really need any household items or another cut crystal bowl!)

Considered a “personal” wedding (distinct from a “state” occasion where it’s appropriate to invite heads of state from around the world), Harry and Meghan’s ceremony is rather small compared to other Windsor weddings. (Only 600 friends and family members received the coveted invitations to attend the wedding service at St. George’s Chapel and following reception. Yet Harry, who remained close to his mother’s family, invited the Spencer clan—Diana’s three siblings and their families—to both wedding and reception, including the evening’s let-your-hair-down party for 200 at Frogmore Hall.) Nonetheless, Harry and Meghan have extended special invitations to almost 2700 people “from every corner of the United Kingdom”—people of all ages and backgrounds who have served their communities, plus members of the royal household—to be part of their wedding by gathering on the grounds of Windsor Castle to watch the comings and goings of the day’s festivities. (I’d like to be part of that group!)

I find it a pleasure to be drawn into the love story of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Given the archetypal nature of royalty, representing something stirring in the collective consciousness, it’s most heartening to know that a deep level of “kindness” is brewing on such a glittering world stage to help counteract the harshness that’s been unleashed in the world of late.

Kindness has indeed taken a hit recently in the rude realm of “trumpery,” but as British novelist Amelia Edith Barr wrote: “Kindness is always fashionable.” Both of Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ sons inherited a tender, thoughtful side from their parents—and both William and Harry attracted life partners who seem to nurture and encourage that tenderness. (The expression “real men are kind” comes to mind!)

“Channel kindness” is an apt directive today—and perhaps a reason so many people are captivated by this vibrant couple who are creating such joy in being in service to others. I say let’s all enjoy and celebrate this royal wedding, immersing ourselves in heart-centered energy—and feel the spirit of kindness rising in the world, then pass it forward.~

  

[I'm working on a new book, A Memory of Beauty: The Spiritual Mission of a Princess—which explores the transformational nature of kindness. www.CorneliaPowell.com]

{Feminists Men and the Women They Attract}

“Meghan is going to be a force,” People magazine reported about the upcoming marriage of Prince Harry of Wales and Meghan Markle, citing a palace source. “She will help him define his role and relate to the public in a way that he wouldn’t have been able to do before. It was worth the wait.”

Meghan Markle as a UN Women spokesperson

{Meghan Markle: An Activist Since Age 11}

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle love many things about each other I'm sure...and one of those attractions is compassionate activism!

Meghan learned, with support from her father, that even at age eleven you can make a big difference in the world!




I love her speech at the United Nations Women's Conference in 2015 (in her role as UN WOMEN ambassador) where she shares the story! Enjoy....

...and remember, you don't have to be a princess to make a positive change in the world!