Harry and Meghan doing alright in the US, continuing their universal service

[notanotheroneagain]

Have heard a few comments from panellists and commenters thinking that Harry somehow wants to come back to the UK?

I highly doubt this. I think they are doing more than ok in the US.

A pity a positive thread has been deleted regarding the podcasts, maybe the positive conversation can continue here?

In particularly I wanted to highlight the announcement that they will be recipients for the Robert J Kennedy Human Rights award.

“When The Duke and Duchess accepted our award laureate invitation back in March, we were thrilled. The couple has always stood out for their willingness to speak up and change the narrative on racial justice and mental health around the world,” Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and Robert F. Kennedy's daughter, said in a statement shared today. “They embody the type of moral courage that my father once called the ‘one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change.’”

Obviously, nobody likes being bullied but RandomPenguinHouse was a poster who was so obviously not provoking anybody and her insights were unique and amazing. That's why she is missed.

I didn't know that Archetypes have donated to help after the Nigerian floods.

Particularly as Meghan is 43% Nigerian, I can totally understand her wanting to donate.

I think its great that she did that but... she made the donation coordinated with her podcast?

The floods started to raise eyebrows - just a bit - only last week. It's only in the last few days, the situation has been escalated and realised as the crisis that it is.

I'm not sure what is meant by 'the narrative about mental health' 'around the world', but you couldn't challenge it in any worse way, IMO, than going on global TV and accusing your closest relatives of being mean, some of them; heartless, others and racist, one of them - completely blindsiding them by giving them no warning or chance to reply. If I was a relative who had that done to me, I would pretty surely acquire mental health problems.

The essence of therapeutic counselling is that you should usher in your topics and bed them down, so that all participants know what they are going to be discussing in advance of the There should be a mediator with trained mentoring skills. The idea of lunging into a list of complaints, to the world - before telling those who've offended you what they've done is the antithesis of good mental health practice.

Just to be clear I'm in no way criticising the donation, money is vitally needed by all the aid organisations and it's to be welcomed that they've done that. But, with respect, flooding didn't just start "to raise eyebrows - just a bit - only last week". Flooding has been bad since the summer. By the end of August there were 362 deaths.

In September Cameroon did its annual release of dam water and it flooded through several states, causing loss of life and homes.
And on September 19th, from Africa News...
Nigeria is battling its worst floods in a decade with more than 300 people killed in 2022 including at least 20 this week, authorities said Monday, admitting the situation is "beyond our control."

On 16 Oct the BBC was reporting 600 deaths, with 1.3m people displaced and 200,000 houses destroyed.

Then on 26 Oct spotify announces the Archewell donation to Nigeria to publicise a podcast where Meghan reveals she's half Nigerian.

Aaahhhh - I hadn't realised that the donation was done to co-ordinate with the podcast. That somehow diminishes the meaning behind it. Although I'm sure the Nigerian people who are suffering are grateful for any help.

Yes, I'm sure they are very grateful !

Yes, indeed. The money is much needed so everything is welcome. I want it to be clear that I congratulate Archewell for making the gift.

If anything, donate and publish better than blatant straight self promotion like the attached. Why publish though. 🙄

In my opinion, waste of resources with such a star guest list. This podcast series will pass. Or she will be replaced by someone else more experienced, more positive and capable of providing insight and showing empathy (without publishing every time 😅)

Then on 26 Oct spotify announces the Archewell donation to Nigeria to publicise a podcast where Meghan reveals she's half Nigerian.

If the implications in this sentence are true, this is distasteful in the extreme. Even if the implications aren’t true, the timing of events rather suggests a profoundly cynical use of information and events. To use a natural disaster for publicity; to publish your own (and by definition, some family member’s or members’) genealogy for publicity; and to publicise what exactly… SMH.

Does anyone know how large this donation was? And when it was made? It was made via UNICEF, right? Not a grassroots/ local NGO or charity?

Just seen an announcement that Harry's memoir will be released in January.

How much was it ? Why the need to publicise ?

I cannot imagine this will be anything other than a whingefest .

Very grateful I think. Most of all I do not in any way think it's distasteful for Meghan to make this donation, knew I would find this line of thinking on mumsnet of all places.Glad it's seems like most Nigerians are happy with this news and actually welcome Meghan and her ancestry revelation.

Nitpicking every donation Meghan makes to whatever organization wherever in the world ( Nigeria) this time should surely be exhausting to those who don't like her. Working royals are doing things now, that should be the focus no? .

This Angry black woman podcast could not have come at a better time. Elsewhere away from mumsnet black women continue to share their stories. Watching debates in the US where black women have debated their opponents for these coming elections and reading the comments and commentary shows this podcast episode was not negative, it is reality, living and lived experiences for so many at this time.

Did she make the donation FOR her podcast? Or did she study her ancestry and then make a donation because of it and it later came out in her podcast?

This is the type of thing that no one really knows 100% what happened until the charity filings come out but people still assume the worst.

Corporations in the US make donations all the time in order to help themselves. (Tax reduction) This is nothing new. But Meghan is getting slack about the possibility of doing the same with Archewell.

That’s the thing. Why can’t they just give money without trumpeting to all and sundry?

Thank you for saying this. I keep saying that this podcast is a US based production for a US audience. Every conversation she has had are ongoing and important conversations here in the US. Talking about issues that women, especially minority women, experience every day. It IS a negative experience for them. Talking about it allows those Talking to help create a forward path that is not negative.

I do not in any way think it's distasteful for Meghan to make this donation

Of course it isn't, since those in need probably welcome money no matter where from - however it seems to be the use of it for publicity that's annoying some

And according to the very reputable New York Times, it's "industry executives" who've said Harry's publication date is now 10th January, which seems a bit surprising since surely December would have caught the lucrative Christmas market?

That’s the thing. Why can’t they just give money without trumpeting to all and sundry?

I don't blame them for announcing it. That's their business and people want to know where the money is going. Plus it publicises the floods and may encourage others to give.

But why do they make the donation on the day they release the podcast that reveals her heritage? The podcast was made before now, so she's known about her heritage for a while. Why not donate the money when the floods started causing devastation and the death toll was rising in August?
And why have Spotify announce it? That surely can only be to publicise the podcast.

🤣🤣🤣Do you know what mixed race
Means? Especially in Caribbean / America. She could also be 3% Portuguese/ etc etc. Will she be a liar until she maps everything out on paper for you to scrutinise and calculate ?