Do you remember that huge scandal from earlier this year when it was revealed that Rachel Dolezal, president of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP, is actually white? After her estranged biological parents (who are white) outed her true identity, she revealed in an interview with Matt Lauer on Today that she has identified as black since she was five years old.
“I was drawing self-portraits with the brown crayon instead of the peach crayon, and black curly hair,” she said. Dolezal always evaded questions about her background and birth family.
Now, she’s finally speaking out again and admitting she was “born white.” In an appearance on the talk show The Real—hosted by five women of color—Dolezal said: “I acknowledge that I was biologically born white to white parents, but I identify as Black.”
Granted, we all knew this the whole time, but this is the first time she herself has outright admitted it. There was apparent tension between Dolezal and the hosts, who pointed out that she took opportunities away from black women by claiming a black identity.
The story has spurred a lot of interesting discussion about the identity we’re born with versus how we self-identify. Many believe that Dolezal’s claiming to be African American is a form of blackface, and that she does not understand the true struggles of growing up as a minority in America. Others have been left wondering whether it is possible to be transracial. What do you think?