In a virtual interview on 14 Aug., Meghan Markle sat down with Emily Ramshaw, the co-founder and CEO of the 19th Represents — a summit founded to empower women and shine a light "on the unfinished business of the 19th Amendment" — to discuss the ongoing impact of the sufragette movement, specifically as it pertains to underrepresented groups like the Black community. The interview comes just a handful of months after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the decision to split their time between the UK and North America [1] back in January. As part of the discussion, Meghan opened up about the devastating and empowering effects returning home during a turbulent time of social and political reckoning has had on her.

"To come back and to just see this state of affairs . . . it was just devastating," Meghan told Emily of her initial return. "It was so sad to see where our country was in that moment. If there's any silver lining in that, I would say that in the weeks after the murder of George Floyd, in the peaceful protests that you were seeing, in the voices that were coming out, in the way that people were actually owning their role . . . it shifted from sadness to a feeling of absolute inspiration, because I can see that the tide is turning."

Meghan will make history in 2020 as the first royal family member to exercise their right to vote [2] in a US presidential election, which is why she's using her voice to speak up for underrepresented communities and encouraging everyone to vote. "From my standpoint, it's not new to see this undercurrent of racism and certainly unconscious bias, but I think to see the changes that are being made right now is really — it's something I look forward to being a part of," she said. "And being part of using my voice in a way that I haven't been able to of late. So, yeah, it's good to be home."

Take a few minutes to listen to the Duchess of Sussex's full interview above, and find out more about voting early [3] and casting your mail-in ballot [4] here.