Royal race row: Reverend ‘denies’ aiming speech on racism at Prince William and Kate | Royal | News
Reverend Mariama White-Hammond, who recently gave a speech on racism in Boston, claimed that her words were not aimed at the Royal Family, a news report has stated. The reverend confirmed that she “did not know” about the scandal before giving her speech, pagesix.com revealed.
When asked if she meant to slight the Prince and Princess of Wales, she said: “As a person of African descent I often begin anything I say with a land acknowledgment, I want to bless this space and acknowledge the beauty and the painful history.
“The media told me afterward.”
According to MailOnline, Reverend Mariama White-Hammond – the city’s Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space gave a strong-worded speech just minutes before the Prince and Princess of Wales took on the stage at Boston.
The news report suggested that Reverend Hammond, who founded a youth organization focused on “teaching the history of the Civil Rights Movement”, said: “On this day, I invite us all to consider the legacy of colonialism and racism.
“The ways it has impacted people across the world and its connection, its deep connection to the degradation of land and our planet that we are all seeking to reverse.
“The stories lost, the species made extinct, but also the persistence of people in the face of oppression and the fundamental dignity of all of our relations.”
Her speech came hours after William’s godmother, Lady Susan Hussey apologised and resigned after she repeatedly asked a black British charity boss where she was “really” from.
The Reverend started her speech by “’acknowledging the ancestral lands we stand on today”, as she went on to express gratitude to the Prince and Princess of Wales for opting to host this year’s Earthshot Prize in Boston.
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The Palace described the remarks as “unacceptable and deeply regrettable”.
This is their first to the US since 2014.
