White but Black: Rachel Dolezal Maintains Her Black Identity

by Benson Agoha | Identity

White, Black, Mixed. Who cares anymore? Loads still care you would say. The story of Rachel Dolezal, an American Civil Rights Campaigner who identified and fought for causes affecting the Black race has resurfaced.

Found Her Identity: Rachel Dolezal knows whom she wants to be.
(Credit: via NBC). 

For those not familiar with this story, Rachel Dolezal was born and bred `White', but considered herself black. She thought Africana studies and went on to become the President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

She was forced to resign last month after her mother exposed her as having been born and brought up `White' and insisting they would not understand why she passed herself off as `black'.

In a recent Youtube interview posted on Vanity Fair website, Dolezal identified her father, but would not go into probing questions of identity.

She insist she has been able to identify herself as black since she was five years old. Initial, many black commentators said they felt betrayed and that she must apologize to the black race. But Dolezal had always said she had nothing to apologize for because of the connection she felt for so long.

Recent she has restated her position that she has had “an awareness and connection with the black experience” that dates back to her earliest memories. “It’s not a costume,” she said.

And she told Fanity fair that “It’s taken my entire life to negotiate how to identify, and I’ve done a lot of research and a lot of studying. I could have a long conversation, an academic conversation about that. I don’t know. I just feel like I didn’t mislead anybody; I didn’t deceive anybody."

"If people feel misled or deceived, then sorry that they feel that way, but I believe that’s more due to their definition and construct of race in their own minds than it is to my integrity or honesty, because I wouldn’t say I’m African American, but I would say I’m black, and there’s a difference in those terms.”

'I Wouldn't Say I'm African American, But I Would Say I'm Black'.
(Credit: via Vanity Fair)

Maybe the confusion is that she was `outed', rather than `come out' herself, but at least she know whom she is and whom she wants to be.

Is it any different from men changing their sexuality to become women and vice versa? Isn't identity simply a matter of perspective?

What do you think?

Read also: Rachel Dolezal Deserves To Be World-Widely Known. She’s A Hero, say son