but it seems like it would be the first question someone would ask, right? Racism is ugly, and she chose to throw herself in to that. She must have had a motive.

she hasn't addressed it.

Assume she will have to soon.

and refused to explain any further. Lying is not complicated at all, imo.

First, Her parents adopted 4 black children that she was raised with.
She went to predominately black colleges, and was in black studies.
She was married to a black man.
She has spent her entire adult life working on black issues.

Her parents although profess to be Caucasian, both also say they have a "partially Native American" grandparent.

I find it more troubling that her parents have decided to make this such a public issue. As far as her being in "blackface" the only obvious factor is that she does her hair in pincurls, and is tanned. Spending her whole adult life with people of color why is it so odd that she would adopt the dress and hairstyle of those around her.

I think on the PBS show about family history, I think that nearly every "black" person who had a DNA test has at lease one white ancestor. Many people who claimed to have "Native American" ancestry actually had African ancestry but it was too big a stigma to have the "one drop" of African blood. It would be interesting for this woman to have a DNA test to see if one or both of her parent may have an African ancestor.


Finally although this was being touted by the right wingers, it is interesting that one can change their claim to a gender now, but trying to identify as a different race is really bad.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/rachel-dolezal-naacp-president-accused-of-lying-about-her-race.html?_r=0

I feel bad for her. Something off about this whole thing.

Wont admit it, of course.

Usually it is strange to me, but I find it interesting. I've seen the opposite too. I find that sad.

Please provide one scintilla of evidence for your claim.

Survey data?

Anything?

Are we looking at a sequel to "Soul Man"?!

She was working with the NAACP. Strange, but I don't think her motives were anything but pitiful or weird. Though knowing and listening to her might make a different impression. Yet the people in the local NAACP office accepted her, so it must not have come off to them as having bad intention.

There have been some high-profile celebs who "tried on" characters from shows with Black characters, and they were rightly derided.

It seems obviously wrong to me because it comes from a place of privilege - she can put this on for a scholarship and job or whatever her motive was, and take it off again if she feels like it and wants white privilege again. This was a choice for her. But the choice is not available if you have dark skin. Society decides what race you are, no matter what you might call yourself, and you suffer all the effects of racism with no ability to self-identify or put on anything else.

I was curious if people thought the motive made a difference. I'm just confused by the whole thing.

Someone elsewhere said he can't choose to say he's white when he's stopped by police. Being a tourist in someone else's oppression isn't an intent to mock, but I don't think it is very positive either.

The whole "homage to the culture" thing doesn't sit well either. You can appreciate a culture without appropriating it for your own.

Lots of Blacks have passed for Whites and lots of Jews have passed for gentiles. I don't judge them for their motivations even if it was a choice I would not have made. Obviously something was compelling this woman to behave the way she has. She wasn't doing it as a stunt or to mock. I'll cut her some slack.

what he rmotivation was. She could have started because she wanted the scholarship to Howard, but there are bunches of potential reasons that aren't opportunistic. I am not assuming she's a bad person.

It's one thing to pass as a privileged class (ie white and/or christian), especially given that we have that history of lynchings and more modern things like police shootings/incarceration rates, or anti-semitism. Even in the absence of a fear that you might get killed for being black or jewish, if there is a tangible benefit, say getting a better mortgage rate, or being accepted into the upper echelon of society, it is easier to see why somebody might take advantage of that situation.

It's another thing entirely for somebody of a privileged class to try to appropriate the minority class. She's effectively saying that she has paid the price of being black in this country without, you know, actually doing so.

You're ascribing motivations when this is probably the manifestation of some psychological damage she's suffered. I am much more perplexed by her behavior than I am offended by it.

and that I also put into the "trasracial" thread:

I couldn't wake up tomorrow and say I'm white AND I ACTUALLY DO HAVE WHITE ANCESTRY. I would be laughed out the fucking room AND RIGHTFULLY SO. No one would stand up tell white people "Just let her be white w/ her brown ass!" because whiteness is a boundary to be respected, blackness is not. Period. End of story.

in 1959 for the purpose or writing a book on racism (Black Like Me), he was questioned about the ethics politics of his choice. When a woman passes for black and works for the elevation of black people, she is critisized and psycho-analyzed from all quarters. Perhaps the connecting thread is that racist white people don't want white people exposing the discriminatory way minorities are treated. Racists can dismiss reports of discrimination when made by minorities, but might find it more difficult to dismiss when reported by "one of their own".

Personally, it matters to me as little as blacks passing as white does; i.e., not at all. I'm of the whatever-floats-your-boat category.

I think Miss Dolezal is just confused. :/ Rachel definitely isn't black, but I don't believe she'll be performing in minstrel shows anytime soon.

That said, Tim Wise needs to STFU with his guilt-ridden ass because there are many white-passing women of color who could easily look like Miss Dolezal (light skinned, some fine features but with natural curly hair, freckles, green eyes, etc) and get crap for "trying to be somebody their not".

Fuck him.

being trans on one hand and white people lying about their ethnic/racial background on the other.

Hint: Boys Don't Cry is not like this film:

really means when people are so upset because a Caucasian person chose a black identity over a white one. I think she has a right to choose her racial identity. To mock her for choosing a black identity is racist.

She could have just as easily done the same sort of work without deceiving people. But she choose to not do that (whether of her own weird volition, or mental illness).

I don't care if she wants to involve herself in black culture, or immerse herself in it. Couldn't care less. But that isn't what she was doing.

Her involving herself in African inspired culture or wearing cornrows or whatever isn't and shouldn't be an issue. The lying and deceit she pulled about her race and biological background is the issue. Last I checked, the NAACP doesn't prevent white or other minorities from working with them, she didn't have to be something she wasn't to make a difference. That what threw me off when I first found out about this story,

This was a classic race hustle. She probably raked in over $100k between her teaching job and NAACP leadership position. Did you know she also had a black hair store? Possibly a free education too since she went to Howard. Did she pay or get scholarships geared toward blacks?

No, this was a profitable little scam she had going. She might have got away with it if she hadn't sent so many fake racial threats to herself and her family hadn't outed her.

Waiting for her book deal. She will never have to work again. Blackface degrades black people, this was a disguise for her own gain