African American is the New Black

The (now former) President of the NAACP’s Washington chapter, the group that fights for the rights of black people, has been outed as a white woman.

Rachel Dolezal tanned her skin, put her hair in corn rows and said she was African American. She lied about who her parents were and publicly referred to her adopted brother, who is black, as her son.

Her parents are actually a mild-mannered white couple who say Rachel has always identified with black culture. There’s nothing wrong with that. But why lie about it? The NAACP doesn’t discriminate about who can be an executive, black, white or purple. Arguably, it would be easier to become the leader of a black advocacy organization if you’re black but surely her passion for the cause would count.

Previously, Dolezal made several complaints to police about harassment. She claimed someone mailed her racist material and that nooses were left at her home. After her deception came to light, police dropped the investigations. She resigned her post but is defiant about her behavior. Some people have gone so far as to suggest her deception is the same as Bruce Jenner’s transformation into Caitlyn. That doesn’t wash with me. Bruce as Bruce didn’t introduce himself as Caitlyn and lie about who he was. Others suggest Dolezal took advantage of social benefits designed for minorities by assimilating into the black culture. I don’t know this to be true but it’s certainly possible. She did sue Howard University in 2002 claiming she was discriminated against because she was a white woman. And after all of this, she calls the reaction to her deception, “viciously inhumane.”

When I was younger, people often assumed I was Italian. I considered it a compliment but never once did I deny my British/Polish roots and take on the culture, beyond ordering spaghetti for dinner. Rachel Dolezal clearly identifies with a culture to which she doesn’t organically belong. Had she not adopted a fake background and misled those around her, perhaps she could have made a real difference. Now she’s just a poser whose legacy will be built on lies.