Rachel Dolezal, I’m sure you’ve heard the name by now.
The president of the Spokane, Washington, chapter of the NAACP has been the talk of the town for the last few days. Dolezal has come under fire after her parents disclosed that she has been passing herself off as a black woman for the last few years.
Now, in addition to her false claims and fabricated life, Buzzfeed is reporting a very interesting story. According to the site, Rachel Dolezal did not let a student participate in a class activity about race, because the student did not appear Hispanic enough.
The student said that the incident occurred within the first three weeks of an introductory course on race and culture. Dolezal introduced an activity she called “Fishbowl,” in which one student sat in front of the class as others were invited to ask them questions about their racial and cultural experiences.
In the first round of Fishbowl, the student said Dolezal sought out a volunteer of Hispanic background to be questioned.
The student, who told BuzzFeed News that she identifies as Hispanic, grew up in a Spanish-speaking country, speaks the language fluently, and, while she has light skin, believes she has a “pretty solid experience of what it’s like to be Spanish.” She raised her hand to participate.
“I think we should ask another student,” the student recalled Dolezal saying in class.
The student asked why she could not participate.
“Rachel said I didn’t look Hispanic,” she said, and that her instructor “doubted that I could share experiences of racial or ethnic discrimination because I didn’t have the appearance of looking Hispanic.”
Dolezal instead selected another Hispanic-identified student to sit before the class.
“I didn’t think much of it at the time,” the student said, “but now I wish I had said something, especially now that her race is the one people are questioning.”
Dolezal’s entire life, including her time at Howard University, has been scrutinized by the public. Does the above incident come as a surprise to anyone? If it’s true, Rachel is 100% the pot calling the kettle black.
What do you think of this entire situation? Let’s talk about it.
