Prince Harry Meghan Markle Get Surprise Bed In Online Poetry Class

Samir Hussein / WireImage via Getty Images

February is Black History Month in the United States; an annual event that stems from an idea initiated by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926, who noted that the contributions of African Americans “ were overlooked, ignored and even suppressed by history textbook writers and teachers who use them ”. Then recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976, every subsequent US president has followed his lead in designating February as an “occasion to honor the too often overlooked achievements of black Americans in all fields of our history.”

Now settled in California, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined in celebrating the event nationwide – albeit from their own homes due to the pandemic – by making a surprise appearance at a poetry class online this weekend. The couple joined a session for Get Lit, an organization that “ fuses classical and spoken poetry to increase teen literacy on the page and in visual media, ” much to the delight of enthusiastic young poets during of the video call.

A screenshot posted to the @getlitpoet Instagram account showed the young attendees, aged 13-19, joining the call from their respective locations, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan logging in from their home in Montecito. Looking happy and relaxed in casual button-down shirts, the couple can be seen smiling as some of the teens on call appear visibly shocked, laughing or gasping with their hands clapping to their mouths.

The accompanying caption reads: ‘We’ve saved the best for last! Guess who surprised our poetry class this weekend ?! It was the best weekend of my life! Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were magical and kind and interested in poetry! The Duchess even shared some of her favorite lines of poetry. We are very grateful for their visit in honor of Black History Month. This is the most epic experience in the history of Get Lit !!! Learn more about the visit and our program at the link in our bio! ‘

Poetry teacher Mason Granger wrote on his own Instagram account, “ Soooo Prince Harry and Meghan walked into my poetry class on Saturday and kicked it off with the Get Lit Players for a multitude of minutes. My favorite part of it all was that Meghan echoed so many feelings that we talked about in class, about this particular moment in time / history of being a young person and the ripple effect of one voice … Fast forward ripple ripple and these kids get a 45 minute surprise chat with Prince Harry and Meghan. It was quite surreal. My kids shared poems, they asked questions, the kids responded and asked questions back, they responded authentically (they actually read and learned the child biographies I had sent over. early) … I just wanna say Get Lit players are awesome and 10/10 would recommend The Duke and Duchess of Sussex for your next Zoom poetry practice.

A second teacher, Sheila J, added in her own post: “ Through poetry I can witness some pretty cool things. I can see what my life is like when I give it to my art and it gives me so many opportunities for growth, inside and out … Saturday I saw this the same the way Meghan and Prince Harry (I’m sorry I ‘don’t know how to address these lovely people) spoke to my students – how they learned their names, where they came from. How they engaged with their writing and their voices. How they validated their art, how they express themselves. The impact is huge… Gratitude to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and your staff for all the kindness and generosity of your time and energy to these children. It was a cup of tea for all of us and I know it’s something we will always remember.

Get Lit launched its first virtual anthology this month to support the Black Lives Matter movement, featuring the work of black authors and poets in a collection that “ aims to inspire new perspectives, to spread understanding, to celebrate great art and bring to light the multitudes of injustice. ‘ The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been staunch supporters of Black Lives Matter, speaking out against racial injustice following the murder of George Floyd in May last year.

Meghan gave a virtual speech to graduate students at her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, speaking about the need for society to “rebuild and rebuild and rebuild until it is rebuilt”; Harry also praised young people who fight racial inequalities when he presented the Princess Diana Award last year, saying: “Institutional racism has no place in our societies, but it is still rampant.

As well as being close to the couple’s hearts in terms of racial equity advocacy, the session was likely a welcome opportunity for Meghan to exercise her literary muscles. Vanity Fair recently reported that the Duchess may be considering writing a book, with a source described as a ‘friend’ telling the outlet: ‘Meghan has some very serious book deals on the table… They are all for consideration.

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