Racism and the very non-racist royal family

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These recent events began last month during a reception at the palace. Susan Hussey, Prince Williams’ godmother, relentlessly harassed Ngozi Fulani, founder of Sistah Spaces, with questions about her real origin, Fulani later said. No matter how many times the British Fulani responded, Hussey, the late Queen’s lady-in-waiting, continued to expect a different response. She stubbornly refused to accept that someone who looks Fulani could be British.

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After the Fulanis tweet about the incident made headlines, Hussey apologized and resigned from her post at the palace. Williams’ office released a statement calling Hussey’s early comments to the Fulani people unacceptable and said racism has no place in our society. It was a boilerplate answer, racism is still found at home in most societies. But that should have been the end.

Britain’s Queen Consort Camilla, right, speaks to guests near Ngozi Fulani, left, chief executive of Sistah Space Group, at a reception to raise awareness about violence against women and girls at the Palace of Buckingham on November 29. KIN CHEUNG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Yet, as people of color, especially black women, know, speaking out against racism in a racist society is often punished as a greater sin than racism itself.

Fulani, her family and Sistah Space staff have been subjected to what she calls horrific abuse, especially on social media. But the repercussions of this racism do not stop there. African and Caribbean women, survivors of domestic and sexual violence who have long sought the services of Sistah Spaces, have temporarily lost a vital source of support and healing.

In 2015, Fulani founded Sistah Space to offer cultural awareness and sensitivity assistance that is often lacking in predominantly white institutions, from law enforcement to social service agencies. That’s why Fulani was invited to Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by Camilla, who has chosen domestic violence as one of her royal causes.

Yet neither the Queen Consort nor Charles or William have said anything about what the Fulani and their loved ones endured after the hurtful comments from a member of the palace’s inner circle. Hussey perpetuated an old racist trope. To ask a person of color where they really come from is to separate and differentiate, to make it clear that the ground they stand on cannot be claimed as their own. This same foul energy is what drove the so-called birtherism movement against Barack Obama by those who could not accept the possibility of a black president.

Because Fulani refused to accept racist treatment and be a silent party to Hussey’s attempt to diminish her, she is excoriated.

Charles, Camilla and William should condemn the terrorizing Fulani and Sistah Space. They should praise the crucial work that is currently being undone and the communities that are unserved due to racist abuse. Instead, nothing but silence from the royal family.

Of course, this all unfolds as more Harry & Meghan episodes prepare to drop on Thursday. It’s a multi-part Netflix documentary about the prince who fled to America rather than allow the racism of the British tabloids and his own family to destroy his biracial wife, Meghan Markle. The House of Windsor probably cannot bear even more scrutiny from its family who built their empire through racist violence, looting and subjugation and have been increasingly called to account for it.

Never complain, never explain, the unofficial motto of the royal family, has upheld the palace for decades. But Harry and Meghan’s accusations and what Fulani called an interrogation by Hussey demand a more considered response from a family used to dispatching carefully curated public appearances. Blaming Hussey alone absolves the royal family as the purveyors of unchallenged white power. But Hussey’s beliefs weren’t just tolerated in the House of Windsor. They were probably grown there.

Right now in London, black women aren’t getting the support they need because trolls can’t accept the fact that the Fulani have dared to call racism by its name. It will pass, but it will leave scars. But not for the royal family. As usual, they will remain cloistered behind palace walls, handing out bland Christmas greetings and trying to shore up the crumbling myth that, as Prince William insisted last year, they really aren’t a racist family.

René Graham is a columnist for the Globe. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @reneeygraham.

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