Meghan Markle's Royal Wedding, 'A Major Gain For Civil Rights'

LOS ANGELES, CA — A black community leader alluding to the fact that Hollywood native Meghan Markle's mother is black said Friday that the royal wedding would represent "a major gain for civil rights in Los Angeles," where the bride-to- be was born and raised.

"Meghan Markle's wedding to Prince Harry is a landmark for African- Americans in Los Angeles and nationally," said Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson. "As the first African-American member of the Royal Family and a Los Angeles resident, Markle stands as a symbol of the further breaking down of the barriers of race. Her wedding also stands as an important measure of racial progress and racial pride for African-Americans."

Hutchinson said in a statement that he and other community leaders see the royal wedding as "a major gain for civil rights in Los Angeles." He said Los Angeles civil rights leaders will encourage Markle and Britain's royal family "to increase their activism for civil rights and social justice causes."

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City News Service; Photo: Megan Markle attends the Misha Nonoo fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 the at Center 548 on February 14, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)