Watch Meghan Markle Deliver Powerful Speech About Her Journey to Activism at the Ms. Foundation Gala

It only makes sense that Meghan Markle wore a shimmering dress to the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision awards last night—and that her mom, Doria Ragland, was by her side.

Her golden ensemble signaled that the Duchess of Sussex, who was being honored as one of four "Women of Vision" at the foundation's 50th anniversary gala, was ready her moment in the spotlight. During her six minute speech, Meghan highlighted her lifelong feminist activism, and specifically the impact her mom's subscription to Ms., Gloria Steinem's magazine, had on her growing up.

"I also knew that to my mom—to my dear mom who I'm honored to have here with me tonight—I knew that the significance of these magazines was important," she said during her speech. "I mean, it wasn't a one off. She had a subscription!" She reflected on seeing diversity in the pages of Ms., and how woman from different career paths, like politics or astronauts, were highlighted.

Meghan said later in her remarks, "When I reflect on the time in my life, when I was young, the imprints that were etched in my mind, I can now connect the dots in a much better way to understand how I became a young feminist and evolved into a grown activist. Ms. was formative in that cocooning: It piqued my curiosity and it became the chrysalis for the woman that I would become and that I am today."

During her speech, also gave a slight dig at the British tabloids and the media narrative that has surrounded her in the past four years. "The narrative on repeat that surrounded me allowed me to recognize that part of my greater value and purpose in life was to advocate for those who felt unheard, to stand up to injustice, and to be not afraid of saying what you know is true, and what is just, and what is right," Meghan said.

Steinem, who met Meghan in 2020 and presented her with the award alongside Ms. Foundation president and CEO Teresa C. Younger, told Town & Country on the red carpet that it was "great" she was able to give the Duchess of Sussex this accolade. "I think Meghan has been subject to the British tabloids," Steinem said, "and so people may not know just how wonderful she is."

In introducing Meghan, Younger highlighted the Duchess's "tenacity" and her status as a "cultural catalyst." Younger said, "Her core belief that representation matters, and her connection to community through the lens of learning, healing, and inspiring have helped define her as a cultural catalyst for positive change. Tonight we are thrilled to recognize Meghan’s strength, resilience, passion and tenacity, which is critical to building a better world for our mothers and grandmothers, our children and their children, and ourselves."

Elsewhere during the evening, LaTosha Brown, Wanda Irving, and Kimberly Inez McGuire accepted the other Women of Vision awards, and young activists Olivia Julianna and Rebekah Bruesehoff were recognized. The awardees all gave moving speeches about their work, and their visions for the future. "We think it will be the politics that will change the world," Brown, the founder of Black Voters Matter, said in her remarks. "No. It will be our humanity."

Read Meghan Marke's full speech at the Women of Vision awards:

Thank you for the leadership that has brought all of us here tonight. And to my friend Gloria for the inspiration that you are, for your mentorship, your sage advice, your extraordinarily cheeky sense of humor, and of course, for your incredible friendship: Thank you.

To this evening's other honorees: Congratulations and frankly, well deserved. Thank you for the important and meaningful work that you do. And while I was familiar with most of your work before tonight, nothing could compare to the focus, the determination, the energy I feel from each of you—especially as we all bear witness to you standing in elegance and the power of your strength.

Now to Ms. Foundation, thank you for this truly special honor.

It's funny because as a young girl, I would come home and I'd settle in after a day of school. I'd pull up my TV tray with dinner and I would turn on my evening ritual of jeopardy and I would glance at the coffee table where I would see an array of things. It could be the cat's collar, my homework, some mail that had just been brought in and some magazines.

The magazines said Ms. on them, and I remember them vividly because the pictures were different. There was a diversity that I hadn't seen as often, both of color and of age and the names were different. There were congresswomen, there were astronauts. And the topics were different: from mothering to being a working mom to heavier topics such as domestic violence, the poverty line—unearthing its roots, where it comes from—and matters of equity.

And now when I say different in describing this Ms. Magazine on the coffee table of our home in Cloverdale, I mean, different from the covers of the magazines I would see at the grocery store checkout. And I was, I was too young at the time to know what most of it meant.

But I also knew that to my mom, to my dear mom who I'm honored to have here with me tonight, I knew that the significance of these magazines was important. I mean, it wasn't a one off. She had a subscription! And having these pages in our home, it signaled to me that there was just so much more than the dolled-up covers and the images that you would see on the grocery store covers. It signaled to me that substance mattered.

The presence of Ms. Magazine was more than a tool that I inherently learned from. It was an invitation to pay very close attention to the fact that change is just one action away.

And these tenets have fueled Ms. Foundation's work for the last 50 years. Because of this foundation, so many of our youth have been instilled with self worth and limitless possibility no matter their race, their gender, their class, sexual orientation, disability or age. The collective work of this foundation in pursuit of a world where everyone, truly everyone, is valued is just nothing short of awe inspiring.

So when I reflect on the time in my life, when I was young, the imprints that were etched in my mind, I can now connect the dots in a much better way to understand how I became a young feminist and evolved into a grown activist.

Ms. was formative in that cocooning: It piqued my curiosity and it became the chrysalis for the woman that I would become and that I am today.

I am a woman who remains inspired and driven by this organization, and by those around me.

You know, repetition is recognition, as they say. And the narrative on repeat that surrounded me allowed me to recognize that part of my greater value and purpose in life was to advocate for those who felt unheard, to stand up to injustice, and to be not afraid of saying what you know is true, and what is just, and what is right.

So whether your inspiration comes from a magazine on your coffee table, from your childhood, or an article that you read yesterday, an experience that you had today, maybe tonight even, or a moment that you will just walk right into tomorrow.

I suppose the point is, it's just never too late to start. You can be the visionary of your own life. You can charter a path in which what you repeat in your daily acts of service, in kindness, in advocacy, in grace, and in fairness—that those become the very things that are recognized by the next wave of women, both young and old, who will also choose this moment to join the movement and make our vision for an equitable world reality.

Because while, as my dear friend Glo often reminds me, there is still so much work to be done. And let's be clear: I, as all of you in this room know, that she will continue to do that vital work while wearing her black leather pants and signature glasses. She's also always reminded me that it's the community that we create in doing that work. It's this sisterhood, it's this togetherness, that's the joy in it as well.

Work doesn't have to be hard work and it doesn't feel like hard work when we do it together. So I am so proud this evening to stand with such visionaries and even prouder to stand shoulder to shoulder with this community. Thank you all so much.

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