In June 2015, Rachel Dolezal was continuing life as usual. As a black woman, she was professor of African-American Studies at Eastern Washington University and the President of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP. In her down-time Rachel could be found styling black womens’ hair in her home or spending time with her two black sons.
But on June 15th, the life Rachel had constructed came crumbling down when Ruthanne and Larry Dolezal came forward as her estranged biological parents, alleging that she was white and had been posing as a black woman for years. The Dolezals were armed with pictures of a youthful, pale, blonde-haired Rachel, shocking those who knew her. Not only had Rachel drastically changed her appearance to appear black, she was a very vocal and prominent member of the black community in Spokane.
(Photo Credit: www.uptowmagazine.com)
After much time dodging the truth, Rachel released a statement on daytime talkshow “The Real” explaining “I am biologically white, but I identify as black.” The revelation has sparked international debate on the nature of racial identity and definitions of race, ethnicity and culture.
Is race a social construct? Can it be a state of mind? Can the colour of your skin differ from the colour of your soul? According to Rachel, it can. She explains, “From a very young age I felt a spiritual, visceral, instinctual connection with black is beautiful.” Rachel describes being 5 and drawing self-portraits with the brown crayon instead of the peach.
While many dismiss her as deluded or insane, her case raises parallels with gender dysphoria. If it is now accepted that your biological gender identity may dissent from your psychological gender identity, why is it different for race? Research into racial dysphoria is limited, and existing research almost entirely consists of people who are racial minorities wanting to be part of the racial majority. Studies show black people hating their race and attempting to emulate aspects of whiteness to improve their social experience. Historically, the act of “passing” was common in 20th century USA, as black people with fair complexions passed themselves as white in order to escape discrimination. But Rachel’s case of a person of the racial majority wanting to pass as a member of a minority is unusual, raising questions about her motivations.
Of course, it is possible that Rachel’s racial dysphoria is completely genuine. Her lifestyle certainly indicates a strong kinship with black culture. But, there could be other psychological explanations for her transition. Perhaps during her early life Rachel grew to hate her white skin. This is certainly affected by the fact that she was raised with four adopted black siblings and while attending the historically black Howard University, records indicate that Rachel actually sued the university for racism towards her for being white.
(Photo Credit: www.themetropolist.com)
Many of her critics accuse her of a form of twisted Munchausen’s, motivated by a desire to gain sympathy and attention. Before being outed as white, Rachel’s profile on the university website indicated that she had been the victim of eight hate crimes. However, the authenticity of these incidents was questioned, as no perpetrators were found and the envelopes were not stamped, suggesting a person with a key to her mailbox was responsible. Of course, this is purely conjecture. But, nonetheless, members of the black community have criticized Rachel for cultural appropriation, wearing blackness as a costume, taking scholarships and jobs that should have belonged to black women and that she is adopting other people’s pain as her own. Rachel was indeed very vocal in criticizing white people and white racism, claiming personal offence.
While many are quick to criticize Rachel, she does have her advocates, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Rihanna, with the latter calling her “A bit of a hero.” They argue that despite her misrepresentation of herself, her passion and work within education and black civil rights should not be devalued.
At the end of the day, Rachel is not hurting anyone by living as a black woman and in fact is doing more good for the community than harm. Her biggest fault is probably the web of lies she created and the deceit to those around her. It’s hard to judge whether she is insane, a fraud, or a psychologically fragile woman. But while her psychological motivations may never be completely understood, at least now Rachel can move forward with her life from a place of honesty.