New books on Black feminist politics and Meghan Markle

Macalester News recently featured DeWitt Wallace Professor of American Studies Dr. Duchess Harris on the pubication of two new books with several Macalester connections.

Meghan Markle: Essays on Monarchy, Race, and Colonialism, co-edited with Julie Schwietert Collazo, examines how Markle’s experience within the royal family illuminates broader questions of race, colonialism, media representation, mental health, and the politics of belonging. Macalester alumni Amelia Ryan ’23 and Lily Talmont ’23, both former students in Harris’ “Blacks in Paris” course, contributed essays. 

Harris also published Black Feminist Politics: From the Voting Rights Act to the Kamala Harris Vice Presidency (1965–2025), which examines six decades of Black women’s political thought, activism, and institutional engagement. Bernadette Whitely ’26 served as Harris’ research assistant. Harris launched the book at the India Rose Collective on Martha’s Vineyard.

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