White Woman Develops A Black History
It's harder to get jobs and positions that give preference to African Americans if you're actual white as Wonder Bread, which is what this woman, Rachel Dolezal, appears to be. While holding the presidency of the local NAACP chapter and having put on her application for the citizen police ombudsman commission that she's of black African American descent. And having represented that she's African American in numerous venues.
From Jeff Humphrey and Melissa Luck at KXLY.com -- and you have to see the video at the link:
On the NAACP Spokane Facebook page, a picture was posted earlier this year showing Dolezal and an African-American man. In the post, he's identified as Dolezal's father. KXLY4's Jeff Humphrey asked Dolezal about that claim Wednesday afternoon."Ma'am, I was wondering if your dad really is an African-American man," Humphrey asked.
"I don't understand the question," Dolezal answered. "I did tell you [that man in the picture] is my dad."
"Are your parents white?" Humphrey asked. At that point, Dolezal removed the microphone, ended the interview and walked away.KXLY4 was interviewing Dolezal Wednesday about several hate crimes she's reported over the last several years. Most recently, Dolezal said she received a packet of hateful letters and pictures at the NAACP post office box in North Spokane. That crime led to rallies of support outside Spokane City Hall.
Police are still investigating, but say in reports that whoever placed the mail must have had access to the box, as it was not processed through the regular mail. Dolezal denied any implication that she was responsible.
Dole out racial preferences and people are likely to take advantage of them. (Though you really don't expect anybody but a black person to be running the local NAACP chapter -- same as you don't expect the lady running the local Hadassah chapter to be Christian and Chinese.)
UPDATE: Dolezal's parents, who are black like Jennifer Aniston, speak.
She's trans-racial, obvi.
Snoopy at June 12, 2015 7:15 AM
And I bet you all laughed when I revealed my plan, when it was most advantageous, to declare myself a transgendered lesbian woman of color.
You're not laughing any more, are you.
I R A Darth Aggie at June 12, 2015 8:19 AM
The usual basis for racial policy is that, the debilities of blacks being the result of oppression by whites, whites must therefore be punished and blacks compensated. Here is the guilt model, endlessly purveyed in politics. But if the problem is inherent, the moral element vanishes, and so does any hope that remedial programs will ever work. Then what?
Not being of Asian descent, I haven't had to leap higher hurdles to get into college because AA takes those slots. Still...
It is the very pinnacle of irony: You must be of a certain race to lead the institution charged with making sure it is promoted at every opportunity.
Radwaste at June 12, 2015 8:23 AM
I'm with Snoopy. If you can say 'Today I feel like a man' and then you are a man but tomorrow you say 'Today I feel like a woman' and then you are a woman, why can't you say 'Today I feel black'?
Plus the hilariousness of a racist organization employing as their leader a rabid racist with the wrong genetic makeup.
Ben at June 12, 2015 8:24 AM
But 'black' IS based on how you self-identify.
I'm a computer type - never have been able to find an unambiguous definition of what makes a person 'black'. Nobody wants to commit to any kind of workable definition.
Obama had 'white' Mom and 'black' Dad - self identifies as 'black', so we go with it. Same for Halley Berry.
If they self-identified as 'white', we'd have to go with that (wouldn't we?).
If not, suppose their children marry 'white' folk. What would that make kids? How many generations before the descendents can't self identify as 'black'?
Mulatto, quadroon, octaroon - do we need more boxes on the forms? Where does it end?
('Hispanic' makes so much sense, too...)
Not trying to stir things up, just - if there are rules, what are they? If not, can I PLEASE stop spending any mind share on this?
Parker at June 12, 2015 8:47 AM
Soul Man, 1986
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVtsvIpJFTw
There's also The Jerk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtmi4Nc-3dE
And for modern fun
Godfrey Elfwick
@GodfreyElfwick
Genderqueer Muslim atheist. Born white in the #WrongSkin. Itinerant jongleur. Xir, Xirs Xirself. Filters life through the lens of minority issues.
jerry at June 12, 2015 9:01 AM
I've recently moved to Spokane and it's a damn nice place. Months ago, when the now debunked hate mail showed up, my girlfriend and I joked about how white the NAACP president looked. This was funny to us because it's immediately noticable how white this area is. As soon as you get off the plane, you see nothing but white people. It's weird.
Anyway, this woman isn't doing this to get a job. I think you're missing the point of this very strange story. This woman obviously has some sort of psychological issue going on. Are you really trying to make the argument that affirmative action has gotten so out of hand that white people are clambering to claim some other race to get a leg up on getting hired? Maybe I'm misreading. That seems like a strange point that's rather disconnected from reality.
To get back to rambling about how white it is in the Inland Northwest, if you're reading this and aren't white, please move to Spokane! For Christ's sake, I went into a "Mexican" restaurant up here and they served "refried beans" that were actually barbecued baked beans that had been put through a blender. No kidding. It was a place called "Ricardo's Cantina" or something and everyone came in the door and said, "Hi Richard" to the very white owner.
You might say the area needs a little diversity. Come on up! It's beautiful, the fishing is fantastic, there's a lot to do and see, and we need you! Weird shit happens when we white people are left to our own devices like this.
Also, there may be a job opening with the local chapter of the NAACP quite soon. Welcome!
This NAACP chapter president ... how was the gig not up a long time ago? Imagine you're dating her and you get her into bed. How is that not a dead giveaway? What, you're putting relaxer down there?
whistleDick at June 12, 2015 9:38 AM
NAACP chapter president ... how was the gig not up a long time ago? Imagine you're dating her and you get her into bed. How is that not a dead giveaway? What, you're putting relaxer down there?
Posted by: whistleDick at June 12, 2015 9:38 AM
Now I guess we know one of the other advantages of completely shaving your bush. :-).
Isab at June 12, 2015 10:08 AM
It worked for Elizabeth Warren, so why not?
MarkD at June 12, 2015 10:35 AM
I've recently moved to Spokane and it's a damn nice place
____________________________________
Oh? Not according to Dan Savage, whose husband is from there. (They've been together 20 years.) He says it's "crawling with serial killers and bomb-throwing white supremacists."
Granted, that was in 1999 at the latest. Don't know if things have changed.
lenona at June 12, 2015 10:59 AM
So, Elizabeth Warren claims to be 1/24 Cherokee to get a job at Harvard and that's okay. But this woman claims to be 1/2 black to work for the NAACP and she's a horrible person?
Fine. Just let me know which heritage I'm allowed to fake and which ones are off limits - and in what amounts.
Conan the Grammarian at June 12, 2015 11:11 AM
s'got some kind of personality disorder, that much seems certain...
although, there is the chance we are letting her off to easy, and she is actually doing this a'purpose.
I don't think her community will forgive, either way.
If cultural appropriation had a poster child? Yup, it's her.
Ultimately it's messing with her relationships with the very people she wants to be like...
So I'm voting personality crisis... if she was being purposeful to gain some kind of odd advantage, she would keep a lower profile, one would think.
Meh. Stupid people are stupid. Surprised?
SwissArmyD at June 12, 2015 11:13 AM
So could a 100% white guy from South Africa claim to be african american and not catch shit for it?
lujlp at June 12, 2015 11:34 AM
".. if she was being purposeful to gain some kind of odd advantage, she would keep a lower profile, one would think."
My guess is the motivator was that African Studies teaching position.
In this respect, just like Elizabeth Warren.
Isab at June 12, 2015 11:36 AM
You could argue that she's trans-black, and should be accepted as black. However the NAACP has the right to decide for themselves if they want a trans-black heading their chapter.
And there is the fact that she equivocated when asked if she was of African descent. She used the fact that ultimately we are all of African descent to render a misleading answer. She knew perfectly well what was meant by the question, and she chose to mislead.
In a court of law, that would be perjury.
Patrick at June 12, 2015 11:44 AM
... it's a damn nice place.
"Oh? Not according to Dan Savage, whose husband is from there. (They've been together 20 years.) He says it's "crawling with serial killers and bomb-throwing white supremacists."
Granted, that was in 1999 at the latest. Don't know if things have changed."
It probably hasn't changed that much from what Dan Savage's husband remembers in terms of culture. I don't run into it, but my girlfriend is a nurse at a hospital up here and, therefore, deals with every type of person on the economic strata. She reports that there is a lot of racism and backwardness up here. She says that a lot of the more poor people will talk in racist terms as though it's just normal and expect her, because she is white, to agree. That's why we need more minorities up here. These dumb poor fucks up here have just never known anyone who isn't white and are terribly frightened of them. The middle class people have generally travelled around and they know better.
It really is a damn nice place, though. The natural beauty is really breathtaking and there are an awful lot of fun activities to do. Skiing, taking in a hockey game, camping ... oh wait ... maybe I'm not doing much to help attract minorities to the area. Throwing in that horribly insensitive stereotype probably doesn't help either.
whistleDick at June 12, 2015 11:45 AM
I always assumed Warren's story was something like my family's. We had oral tradition of Cherokee routes. I never did an official test or hard research, but perusing ancestry.com did find a supposed Cherokee ancestor... but much further back than I thought... I always thought it was around 1/16 - 1/64 based on what my great aunt said, turns out it's more like 1/1024 + 1/512 of some other tribe from another branch of the family. As in 1600s, not 1800s. Turns out I'm much WASPier than I thought, if ancestry.com is to be believed.
Anyhow, back when I learned about this at age 10 or so I didn't know much about tribal recognition, but I DID know that a lot of people don't consider you White if you're not 100% White, so the next few years I checked both boxes on forms because I did think it was part of my identity.
Never done a blood test, it'd be interesting I suppose.
NicoleK at June 12, 2015 11:45 AM
whistleDick: "Also, there may be a job opening with the local chapter of the NAACP quite soon."
Maybe not.
As you said, "I've recently moved to Spokane... As soon as you get off the plane, you see nothing but white people."
That being the case, if the job has any actual practical qualifications they may have to take a qualified applicant in whatever color he or she comes in.
"This woman obviously has some sort of psychological issue going on."
As a psych nurse, that's exactly what I was thinking. As soon as I saw her face in the video the first thought that entered my mind was, "I wonder what meds she's on... or supposed to be on."
Ken R at June 12, 2015 12:02 PM
Here's the thing Parker.
The majority of this country's history there WAS a clear definition of black. That definition favored whites. And not all whites mind you (but that's a separate discussion). That black definition no longer favors whites. So from certain blacks perspective whites want to change the definition because it no longer favors whites. You can argue this isn't the case but I don't care for either argument.
In Latin culture there is no concept of race except for....people that clearly look black. I can marry a blonde blue eyed Colombian of pure European descent and it wouldn't be considered interracial. What I'm trying to explain here is that even if there were no concept of race there IS a concept of blackness. There is no country where Halle Berry wouldn't be considered black (only some African ones possibly). So yeah to me she's black. Things get fuzzy with groups like Puerto Ricans but even they have people that are called black (the term is usually "Moor" to "black")
For whatever reason black is considered separate by people until you get to the point a person only looks like a hint of black...
So yeah black people are excluded and calling them "white" wouldn't be seen as acceptable both by blacks and other groups...unless they get to an Adriana Lima point (she's Afro-Brazilian).
Ppen at June 12, 2015 12:37 PM
Ben: "If you can say 'Today I feel like a man' and then you are a man but tomorrow you say 'Today I feel like a woman' and then you are a woman, why can't you say 'Today I feel black'?"
Damn right! I don't see how the difference between male and female genitalia is any more or less significant than the difference between dark and light skin. And as far as working for the NAACP, teaching at a college or being on the citizen police ombudsman commission, as long as it doesn't affect her ability to perform her duties, being cisracial shouldn't be any more legitimate as a job qualification than being cisgender.
Ken R at June 12, 2015 12:48 PM
And of course, there is the blatant lie about identifying a certain black man as her dad. Doubtless, she would say that she considers the man her true father. But the fact remains, he's not.
Patrick at June 12, 2015 12:53 PM
True. Whatever this says about black-white relations in the US is a side show. This woman outright lied and defrauded the NAACP - and they are entitled to redress.
Conan the Grammarian at June 12, 2015 2:03 PM
"Call me Black"
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CHUhy47UYAAS7Sr.jpg
Snoopy at June 12, 2015 2:35 PM
whistleDick: To get back to rambling about how white it is in the Inland Northwest, if you're reading this and aren't white, please move to Spokane!
And, if you do, please refrain from beating any elderly World War II veterans to death.
It's white in many parts of the Inland NW but not everywhere. In Adams county -- which is almost next to Spokane County to the southwest -- and Franklin county, due south of Adams, Latinos are the majority. I worked on a construction project in Pasco (Franklin County) in the summer of 2007...lots of good Mexican places in Pasco.
JD at June 12, 2015 5:33 PM
"This woman outright lied and defrauded the NAACP - and they are entitled to redress."
Now THAT will be fun - because the NAACP has to deflect the idea that they discipline, penalize and/or fire here due to her COLOR.
Even though, as I have been assured by others, that "lots" of white people work for the NAACP.
Radwaste at June 12, 2015 5:33 PM
Ben: I'm with Snoopy. If you can say 'Today I feel like a man' and then you are a man but tomorrow you say 'Today I feel like a woman' and then you are a woman, why can't you say 'Today I feel black'?
My favorite local rock/pop/dance band, Shelley & the Curves do a kickass version of Shania Twain's "Man, I Feel Like A Woman." I always sing along to it but have yet to become a woman, even temporarily.
JD at June 12, 2015 5:42 PM
White Woman Develops A Black History
Or, as it's otherwise known, a blackstory.
JD at June 12, 2015 5:50 PM
but, I thought white people wearing blackface was racist?!?!?!?!
It's not looking like the NAACP cares a whit, from their response.
momof4 at June 12, 2015 7:10 PM
I have relatives in Spokane Washington. It has been many years since I have visited though I remember it as having many Hispanic and/or indigenous looking people.
There was a skin head compound just across the state line in Idaho. That maybe was Dan's wife is thinking about.
The Former Banker at June 12, 2015 9:24 PM
Um, why did you say "Dan's wife"?
Terry Miller (whose name I didn't give before) can be seen here, modeling for who-knows-which underwear company:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Terry+miller%22&biw=1280&bih=890&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMI3vrN4I-NxgIVDRGSCh1e_QsI
Scroll down a bit to see Dan.
lenona at June 13, 2015 9:51 AM
It's not looking like the NAACP cares a whit, from their response.
That, momof4, would require some sort of admission from them, which apparently, they're just going to avoid giving.
Amy Alkon at June 13, 2015 10:27 AM
Rachel Dolezal has as much right to be African American as Caitlyn Jenner has to be female. As such she should be as entitled to have her affirmative action job and to be president of the NAACP as any other African American. The NAACP has said that they're OK with it.
Ken R at June 14, 2015 12:44 PM
So Soul Man is an instructional video. I miss the old days, when things sometimes made sense.
MarkD at June 15, 2015 7:14 AM
ppen kind of makes my point, saying:
"The majority of this country's history there WAS a clear definition of black."
And goes on at (admittedly interesting) length - BUT NEVER SAYS what that "clear definition" is, or was.
I've run into this before - frustrating, and it continues to the present day.
And, if Barack Obama or Halle Berry said "I identify as white", how can we not accept it?
Is mixing races like mixing paint, or what?
Parker at June 15, 2015 10:06 AM
ppen kind of makes my point, saying:
"The majority of this country's history there WAS a clear definition of black."
And goes on at (admittedly interesting) length - BUT NEVER SAYS what that "clear definition" is, or was.
I've run into this before - frustrating, and it continues to the present day.
And, if Barack Obama or Halle Berry said "I identify as white", how can we not accept it?
Is mixing races like mixing paint, or what?
Parker at June 15, 2015 10:07 AM
Since she's resigned, perhaps Dolezal's parents could deprogram her. They'll need some Wonder Bread, mayonnaise, bologna, American cheese, and polka music.
Conan the Grammarian at June 16, 2015 11:33 AM
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