Meghan Markle Reached Out To Althea Bernstein, The Biracial Woman Who Said She Was Set On Fire By Four White Men
The 18-year-old was moved to tears after the call with the former Duchess of Sussex, a spokesperson said.
July 01, 2020 at 1:27 pm
Althea Bernstein needed to lift her spirit after experiencing a hate crime which left her physically and emotionally scarred. The 18-year-old found that source of healing when she answered a call from Meghan Markle on Saturday, according to People.
During the 40-minute phone call, the two women talked about their experiences with being biracial, according to People. The former Duchess of Sussex also tried to protect Bernstein from any further harm, advising the Wisconsin woman to stay away from social media to avoid hateful comments. Prince Harry also joined the call briefly, giving additional encouragement to the young woman.
Michael Johnson, the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County who has been acting as Bernstein's spokesman, was able to make the phone call possible.
"Her and Meghan talked about the importance of self-care and allowing herself to heal," Johnson told Channel 3000. "And she applauded her for the way that she responded and pretty much said, 'Hey Michael, give me her cell phone number. I want to stay in touch. And let me know when you want me to come back and talk to people in Wisconsin.'"
Markle is expected to have a conference with girls in Wisconsin in the near future, Johnson said.
On the phone with Prince Harry and Meghan Markel the Duchess of Sussex. Prince Harry shared that young people voices matter and Meghan has agreed to talk with girls in Wisconsin and we will be scheduling that soon. Thank you for caring! pic.twitter.com/FoVs6ewRgo
— Michael Johnson (@MJohnsonCEO) June 27, 2020