Rachel Dolezal, a formally known president of the NAACP chapter, gained widespread attention when it was revealed that she had been deceiving and portraying herself as a black woman despite being born white. This news caused a significant commotion and uproar in the media, especially impacting the black and African American communities in America. Rachel’s actions caused a ton of outrage and concern because she lacked the experiences and struggles of a black person in society, in fact being gifted the gift of white privilege, which in turn provided her success in falsely claiming an identity that wasn't her own. This led to the realization that black experiences could become appropriated and undervalued, minimizing the genuine struggles that are…show more content… In the documentary, it is directly called out by Latoya Brackett when she says, “And how every single time she talks about her blackness, it's always about her struggles. And that seemed to be her way of reminding people that she was black. And her sons, the fact that her sons would always have issues in school is what gave her a struggle.” (The Rachel Divide) Historically and currently, many black people are consistently discriminated against in very similar manners, which Rachel’s black sons may have experienced, so through her speeches, due to her parental bond, she portrayed their struggles as her own. So by using this tactic, Rachel had for a while successfully maintained the idea that she is an African American because she looks like one and has had the experiences of one, so it checked another box on the list, making other black people feel connected to her like someone of their own. Moreover, there are mental concepts influenced by racism and colorism that play along with the reasoning for Rachel's initial
