What is Meghan Markle’s ethnicity? She is both Black and white in heritage.
Getty What is Meghan Markle’s ethnicity? All eyes will be on the former Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, as she and her husband, Prince Harry, give an interview to talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Meghan may touch on the topic of race in the United Kingdom, and the treatment she received as a member of the Royal Family. That has some people wondering: What is Meghan Markle’s ethnicity? She is biracial. Her father is white, and her mother is Black. She is the descendant of slaves on her mother’s side of the family. In the past, she has spoken openly about her biracial heritage. “While my mixed heritage may have created a grey area surrounding my self-identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that,” she told Elle Magazine. “To say who I am, to share where I’m from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman.” Here’s what you need to know: Meghan Markle’s Black Grandfather, Alvin Ragland, Was An Antiques Dealer Who Fought Racism in Los Angeles https://t.co/W6jEjbYj9R pic.twitter.com/Na5IIu0khK BCNN1 (@bcnn1) May 18, 2018 Meghan’s mom is Doria Ragland, who is Black. Doria’s parents have ties to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her father was named Alvin Azell Ragland. “Alvin Ragland was born in Chattanooga during the 1930s. Alvin’s parents and their family lived on Terrace Street and Maple Court,” reports WRCB-TV. Although the family has long-standing ties to Chattanooga, Doria was born in Ohio and grew up in California, according to The Sun. “The 61-year-old was born in Ohio, to parents who were a nurse and an antique dealer. The family later moved to Los Angeles, where Doria attended Fairfax High School,” the Sun reported. The Times Free-Press reported that “Alvin Ragland is Markle’s maternal grandfather. He was born in Chattanooga around 1930, according to Chattanooga’s 1930 Census. At age 14, he worked as a hotel porter downtown.” According to The Free-Press, “Alvin Ragland eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he died March 12, 2011, at age 82.” Daily Mail reported that Alvin died after tripping on a dog’s leash outside Meghan’s mother’s home. Old friends described him to Daily Mail as a “hardworking Los Angeles antique dealer who used to travel far and wide to flea markets in a ‘beat up car packed with junk’” and once owned his own antiques store.
