Rachel Dolezal is the former NAACP leader who according to her parents has perpetrated being an African American for several years...I'm not CNN so if you want the full story Google it!
I'm here to share my opinion.
There are some serious issues that need to be addressed in this situation. First I want to explore what made her parents wait this long to suddenly expose her? News outlets claim the parents feel "she needs help". But did she not "need help" when she started presenting herself as a Black woman? She did, but it was not until now that her parents decided to publicly humiliate her.
Okay dealt with that initial WTF moment. Lets talk about the rest of these shenanigans.
Rachel, a white woman, spray tanned her peachy white skin and crimp curled her silky blonde hair to imitate another ethnicity. Rachel is not the first person to imitate a race other than her own for social acceptance.
Historically Black people have had imitate other races as a way to avoid social persecution. This is why still today over 50% of African Americans claim some percentage of native American heritage. because though the native Americans were killed and exiled they were still considered better than black.
Likewise, with the rape and impregnation of slaves on plantations striations in shades of brown skin began to appear and became almost expected. As such post slavery many "light skinned" black people would "pass" as white. That way they could live in good neighborhoods, eat good food, use clean restrooms. this "passing" was a way of achieving a better life than typically allowed for people of color.
Passing for another ethnicity did not come without it's issues. Often blacks who passed for white were seen as traitors to the race. Likewise, holding fast to historical native American bloodlines is a way to dilute the race and be less black indicating shame in the color of skin.
What Ms. Rachel has done here is reverse passing perhaps for similar reasons. It is unclear how long her identity crisis (which I have deemed as such) has gone on. However it is speculated that around the time she received a full scholarship to Howard University she began to identify differently.
An article I read referred to Howard as " the black Harvard". As a black woman who attended a "traditional university" for both undergraduate and graduate studies, I take offense to the idea of a black Harvard. It has something to do with the idea of segregation and comparative educational facilities. Black people go to Harvard and white people go to Howard. Howard's prestige comes from it's own nature and should not be compared to Harvard. No one refers to Harvard as the white Howard! Okay, rant over
Now, should Ms. Dolezal choose to identify with a group which is currently and has been historically disenfranchised and deemed lesser than the majority, I believe that it is her prerogative.
There is also controversy surrounding Ms. Dolezal's prominent leadership roles in the black community. When thinking about this I have two visual cues. The first is an image from the Motion Picture Malcolm X, where the oh so fine Denzel Washington (Malcolm) is approached regarding his crusade for justice and equality by a young and eager white woman. She inquires "What can someone like me ( a white person) do to help further your cause? Cold and dismissive the civil rights leader said "nothing" and walked away. This scene comes to mind because Dolezal obviously felt that she couldn't affect the changes she wanted to as herself. That is in her natural form. She had to take on the persona, a persona that she identifies with strongly now, of a black woman. She had to experience the world in the way that black women experience the world she had to dispose of her innate white privilege to fully embrace, empathize and advocate for the African American Race. 
The second visual that comes to mind is the opposite Images of white protesters marching alongside Dr. King, participating in boycotts and freedom rides, sheltering blacks in the south, teaching them to read, write and be all around sufficient. This truth shows that white people can undoubtedly shed their privilege for a cause but not without accepting the consequences for doing so. At this time the efforts to elevate the black community do not allow for the shedding of white privilege. In fact in light of recent movements like Black Lives Matter someone of Rachel's ethnicity would not be received well for aspiring to lead in black organizations. This fact justifies her actions even more. I am not defending her actions. I'm just pointing out that perhaps she has reasons for wanting to be black and beautiful.
The flip side of all of this is that just as black people have been "passing" for years, and even still idealize lighter skin tones; white people have dawned "black face" as a defamatory and degrading taunt of the black race. Rachel's actions could be seen as a modern day black face performance, where she danced and acted stereotypically to purvey a black persona. This is offensive.
NAACP made a statement concerning the allegations against Ms. Dolezal, quoting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character". They stated that her resignation is held in the same esteem as would any chapter's leader's. Let's tie this in with social media shall we. This controversy has brought about a string of posts with stereotypical anecdotes posed as quizzes to assess the blackness of someone. I mean.....I think I don't even have to say how utterly ridiculous that is. I won't say it...Y'all know.
What do you think about this topic? Is she getting around racial barriers to support a cause, passing for her own benefit, or making a mockery of an entire culture?
