A few years back I wrote an article about Rachel Dolezal and her claim to fame by identifying as a Black Woman. I don’t think I was harsh in the article but as always I told my truth. I had been debating watching the Netflix documentary on Rachel and her family. I must say I’m glad I decided to watch. There is no excuse for portraying something that you are not. Especially when it comes to something, so sensitive such as race and ethnicity. Let me state this Rachel could only pass as Black in America due to her privilege. Privilege has allowed her to live the American dream as far as being who you want to be, and doing what you want to do. However, she did assist in bringing awareness to the people of Spokane, WA about the active racism there. Rachel has to understand that you can be White in America and fully support the Black movement and bring awareness to racism, systematic racism, and injustices of the world.
I am still not agreeing with what she has done, but I understand her a little more now. Here are 11 things you may not have known about Rachel Dolezal….
11 Things you may have not known about Rachel Dolezal
1.Rachel was made out to be the bad child by her parents, because her Mother had an extremely difficult and life threatening delivery with Rachel.
2. Rachel’s parents are religious extremist.
3. Rachel was molested by her older brother.
4. Rachel’s parents adopted four Black children.
5. Rachel asked her parents if she could bring home books about the adopted children’s history, because they weren’t learning anything about themselves in a predominantly White city and school district.
6. Rachel taught her adopted siblings about their history, and who they are in relations to this world.
7. Rachel exposed her parents for beating and mistreating her adopted siblings.
8. Esther (Rachel’s adopted sister) told that their older brother was molesting her but no one believed her. Rachel, stepped up and told that she too was also molested by her brother. The case was being taken to trial since it was two against one.
9. It is believed that Rachel’s parents only told the media that she was their child to discredit her testimony (making her out to be a liar) about being molested by her older brother (golden child).
10. After all the scrutiny about Rachel’s identity the molestation case was dropped.
11. Rachel’s eldest son is actually one of her adopted siblings.
Rachel embedded herself in the culture of Blackness in every way at an early age, and never looked back. She didn’t just adopt the music, the positives of the culture, and the lingo like many others. Rachel recently had another child. A boy. In the state in which she resides the ethnicity (racial identity)of the child is determined by whatever group in which the Mother identifies. The theory to stick a person in an ethnic group that their Mother belongs to is already complex, and can be inaccurate. Imagine how difficult that decision was for Rachel? Especially since her sons Father is Black. It’s extremely coincidental that Rachel’s biological parents decided to “step up” and discredit her right before their sons trial.
Did Rachel’s parents out her just to protect their son from going through the humiliation of a trial? Maybe Rachel’s parents were paying her back for exposing that her adopted siblings were being beat to the authorities. Rachel chose to live the life of a Black woman. She literally chose the struggle. If you had the option to identify with another ethnic group would you?