Rachel Dolezal, the current head of the Spokane, Wash., chapter of the NAACP is not a person of color at all, as social media learned ?recently.
Dolezal, an outspoken activist in the Black Lives Matter movement, was outed by her parents as a white woman and subsequently suffered a large amount of online humiliation. Tweeters accused her of deceit, deception and ?mimicry.
A current picture of Dolezal with deep bronze skin and dark curly hair juxtaposed with one from her childhood, in which she has pale skin, freckles and straight blonde hair, and has been shared across the Internet, coupled with comments bashing her for ?misrepresenting her identity.
At first, I sided with the NAACP’s statement. I thought about, and they mentioned, the idea that it does not take a person with a specific skin color to lead an organization. They also did not have a clause in their bylaws stating that a leader of any one chapter had to ?be black.
So, if she’s doing a good job and she cares and she wants to further the cause of the NAACP, what’s the ?matter?
As I read further into the scrutiny against her, I found out a few things about her that are not characteristic of a good leader. Things like hypocrisy, dishonesty and, to an extent, mockery.
In 2011, Dolezal published a movie review of ?“The Help,” claiming the film practiced a kind of cultural appropriation and Kathryn Stockett, the white author of the book, was “making millions off of a black ?woman’s story.”
She also avoided answering all inquiries into her racial identity. When asked if she is African-American, she claimed she didn’t understand the question.
Investigations into her ethnicity have already been started as it’s unclear if she lied about her race on the documentation she used to get her current position. What’s important here is not whether or not Rachel Dolezal is black.
A passionate leader could be any race or ethnicity. What’s important is that she is not displaying any kind of poise in ?addressing the allegations that she has been misrepresenting herself.
True leaders would step up and clarify the situation. They would apologize to those who feel lied to and they would make an attempt to restate their focus for their organization.
Especially in the volatile, violent and racially charged atmosphere America is facing right now, the black community needs leaders and spokespeople they can trust. Rachel Dolezal has not proven herself to be one of those in this moment.
meickhof@indiana.edu
