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Dolezal: Sharpton, Abdul-Jabbar, Smiley React
Rachel Dolezal's confirmation Tuesday that she doesn't see herself as a white person, despite the now-undisputable fact that she was born to white parents, has touched off a wide-ranging series of reactions from the public, who have undoubtedly found this latest episode of the country's continuing dialogue about race intriguing, to say the least. But perhaps the loudest responses to what appears to be a white woman having masqueraded as a black woman for the better part of a decade is coming from black people themselves, with reactions ranging from anger to confusion to support, and everything in between.
"I identify as black," Dolezal confidently told Matt Lauer Tuesday morning during an interview on NBC's "Today" show, echoing her previous claims that were widely reported after she was outed last week as a white woman who was leading her local NAACP chapter in Spokane, Washington.
Dolezal, 37, has highlighted her career in art and academics by becoming an activist for black people and related causes, and she was elected as NAACP president in Spokane. But for some prominent black voices in America, her role within the organization -- regardless of her triumphs -- was either admirable or duplicitous, depending on who you ask.
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I'm just confused by this woman's actions on so many levels. She is either a sociopath who seeks a means to an end that only benefits her or she's a charlatan. How people like Whoopi Goldberg can support her actions are beyond me because in order to attain this level of education and professional standing she would have had to use the "black persona" to acquire beneficial affirmative action grants, scholarships, internships and positions that were intended for students who were born that way-if I may paraphrase Lady Gaga. Here's where the entire story breaks down. She evidently sued Howard University for discrimination of her in placement due to her whiteness. That claim was denied-as most people who are melanin deprived community would have expected it to be. As with feminism-I really thought by now that we would stop labeling people. Instead it seems that people are seeking more labels. I guess everyone really is a special snowflake.
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