Rachel Dolezal a name that seemingly won’t vanish from social media and the African-Am lexicon. Ms Dolezal, now known by her African names, Nkechi Amare Diallo, has hit a collective nerve with many in the Black Community. Why? Why would a woman, born into the dominant ethnic group in the United States, voluntarily choose to identify with an ethnic group that even many within spend a lifetime trying to deny/escape? Therein lies the dichotomy. Is this about a woman suffering from deep seeded psychological issues, grandiose delusional feelings of self denial? Or perhaps, it’s a sick game of neurotic attention seeking? To understand how this woman became the subject of ridicule, interest and a few jokes, we must first look back, transcending Ms. Dolezal. We must look critically at America’s history, it’s racial politics. Historically, Ms Dolezal isn’t the US’s first #TransRacial, there have been many profiled and others who flew under the radar. It must be emphasized, most Americans do not seem to take issue with TransRacial “whites”(those of other ethnicity who “pass” for white), unless they violate social norms. For example, for all of his life, FBI Director J Edgar Hoover lived his life as a “White American”. Many are oblivious that President Barak Obama (44th) was NOT the first confirmed elected US President of the US of African descent, this distinction goes to our 34th president, Dwight D. Eisenhower. There are many entertainers, past and present, of African descent, who for all of their adult lives, transported themselves racially as white—without question, we’ve almost wholeheartedly accepted them for who they present themselves to be. The most “recent” transracial scandal in recent memory was in 1996 when “Iron Eyes Cody”(born Espera Oscar de Corti) publicly denied that he was Italian. Iron Eyes aka “The Crying Indian”from the 1971 “Keep America Beautiful” commercial vehemently denied that he was European. Cody claimed his father was #Cherokee and his mother was #Cree(his birth parents were Antonio de Corti and Francesca Salpietra, both Italian immigrants). Cody lived his life as a Cherokee, identified as a Cherokee and submersed himself in the culture. And for the most part he was widely accepted by Native Americans as a genuine member of their people. Even when it was disclosed that he was “White”, members of the several Native Nations came forward and embraced him, crediting him for doing more for the cause than even some Native Americans. By all standards, Iron Eyes Cody was culturally a Cherokee, not only in name, but by cultural ideation. Did we level the boom of social mockery on Cody? No, for the most part, Native Americans embraced him based on his contributions. So, why has Nkechi Amare Diallo nee Dolezal received a somewhat different reception within the African-American community? Some of the same social critics who are quick to call out discrimination when the acknowledgment of #transgenders are denied, have become some of Ms Diallo’s biggest critics. Why? Ms Diallo didn’t walk out the “racial closet” during the 2015 interview on #TheReal, when she first publicly disclosed her racial identification. In her recent quasi-autobiography, “In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World”, Ms Diallo stated that her etnnic ideation began while she was still a child and before turning 30 years old, she was openly transracial. There are many who question the fabric of deception woven by Ms. Diallo, seemingly, to cover up her manufactured identity. This is understandable, her actions loans to the “shadiness” of the situation. But, in the same light, some understand why she took that avenue—she understood there would be consequences for a private and personal matter….or maybe didn’t. But none of the above addresses why the vitriol response by so many in the African-American community. And certainly, her discrimination lawsuit against #HowardUniversity, an “elite” #HBCU does not help her win Black Love(she sued because she felt she was being denied scholarships and a tenured teaching position due to her being a “white woman”. Yes, the “cafeteria skin game” does in fact leave a sour taste in the mouth of folks like me who give her a pass. This was “white people” behavior, playing the white card when it was in her favor. Still, while a violation of the “Color Game”, it’s not enough for an ejection. So, why do many in the African-Am community want Ms Diallo to “go away”? If you are easily triggered, here is where you should click “next”, my opinion will not be easy to digest, some may find it a violation; but my shoulders are wide. I opine, #RachelDolezal is being mocked by many in the African-Am community because she is a reflection in the mirror. *Final Chance to leave, the ride gets real bumpy from here on* There can be no denying that many within the African-Am community have a poor image of self. To deny this, makes understanding our collective visceral response to Ms. Diallo, impossible. When we are criticizing, mocking, laughing at Ms Dolezal(Diallo from here on), we are laughing and adversely critiquing ourselves. See, many of us have long internalized that nothing good comes from the African-Am community. Again, we can deny it, there have been too many scholarly works done on this topic by brilliant African-Am experts in the field, not only qualified, but they LOVE their people. Denial is why many of us treat Ms Diallo as an apparition. In Ms. Diallo, we find a person going against social norms to become something, many of us either reject or are running from. Ms. Diallo placed a huge amount of effort trying to become “Black”, where so many of us work so hard denying it. Start with her hair. Ms Diallo, worked to put the “kink in her hair”, when Black women and a growing number of men, have funded a hair industry that is not only Non African phenotypical, but grossly misrepresenting nature. Worse, however, is that in doing so, we give license to the notion that “white beauty” is the universal standard…we grant it legitimacy. Ms. Diallo is adopting her “transraciality” is saying, “I see something beautiful” in being Black…in identifying as “of African descent”. Admit it—or not—this is troubling for many African-Ams…we have internalized a poor negative self image, that we do not expect anyone to want to be “like” us”. Our disgust is at the subconscious level, with makes it even harder to hold a serious conversation, with depth and exploring the real reasons for our uncomforting reactions to Ms. Diallo. I am no sociologist nor do I hold a doctorate in social psychology, but does one need to be? The easy way out is to accuse Ms. Diallo of cultural appropriation. But, aside from her 2002 lawsuit against, Howard U, we can not point to much that would support that charge. Ms. Diallo spent much of her adult working for—in her understanding—for the “Cause”. Albeit, the #NAACP has long lost it’s “hood pass”(if it ever had one), but it retains a “historical” membership. In 2014, Ms Diallo became the branch President of it’s Spokane chapter, receiving credit for revitalizing it during her brief tenure. Here is the slap in your face, most African-Americans criticizing Ms. Diallo do not belong to ANY organization that works towards “the Cause”, grassroots or nationally? She ran a chapter of one of the oldest organization in the nation, most of her critics are #keyboardwarriors—at best. Then the name change. If you’re still with me, it [this journey] gets no smoother. How ironic it is to find African-Ams taking issue with a non-African adopting an African name? A name the individual chose for themselves, a name with meaning and significance? We don’t have to discuss how most African-Ams received their names? How many African-Ams place their name on the line? We laugh at and mock names we give ourselves, referring to them as #ghetto or hood. We even write intelligent sounding prose discouraging naming our children with “ethnic sounding names”—the fall back is “it may impact their future”(we still can nt accept that thinking as “slave mentality). I come from a place where your surname means much, surnames given to my ancestors, after having to give up their culture, language, religious practices, and yes, their name. Yet, generationally, we bless our progeny with names that are rooted in our oppressive history—and find pride in doing so. It was our fear that told you naming your children with “ethnic sounding names” will hold them back”((All my children have “ethnic sounding names, as does my grandson…my legal name is “ethnic sounding’ and has been since I left the military. Any job that I might have missed due to some bigoted job recruiter, is a job that I didn’t need to be at ANYWAY. Not only did I have an “ethnic sounding name” I’ve had locs long before it became a “fashion trend”. My freshman year in college, you know who teased me about my “dirty looking” locs? Perhaps some of the same people who are wearing them now. I was teased and ridiculed for having locs…by people who looked like me, not white folks—albeit, I went to an HBCU. And again, after leaving the military, I put locs in, who laughed and teased? Who told me that I was denying myself employment opportunities? I heard it when I legally changed my name, as well. I share all this to illustrate that I can relate from experience. Ms Diallo is touching raw nerves. She is forcing many in Black America to come to grips with their own self image issues. As stated earlier, the “triggered” souls reading this will respond in one of several ways, denial, dismissive or the usual ad hominem fallacy. Very few have the ability to look within and see the damage caused by white supremacy; and seeing how it impacts our day to day lives. And the irony to it all is that it is a self identifying “transracial” woman forcing us to fight this inner battle.
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