Do you know who this woman is? Her name is Rachel Dolezel. Well, at least it was. Apparently it’s now been changed to Nkechi Amare Diallo. From 2014 to June of 2015 she was the NAACP president in Spokane, Washington. She resigned after it was confirmed that, though she claimed to be African American, she was in fact Caucasian; born to white parents with no African ancestry to speak of. Her hair and visible skin color were not natural. When called out on it, Diallo claimed that she was born white but identified as black.
This mess was all gaining attention around the same time Caitlyn Jenner (am I the only one who hears ominous thunder every time her name is mentioned?) came out publicly. Naturally, this started a national conversation that anti-trans groups just loved to jump on as “proof” that transgender people were bogus: why can you identify as a gender but not as a race?
I mentioned last time that I left this particular argument out because there was a lot more to unpack with it. The short answer is, no, you can’t identify as a race. But explaining why isn’t as simple as a single sentence pointing out its utter idiocy. This question not only goes much deeper than the others, but digging into it unearths a lot of other related cultural problems.
Let’s start with the basics. You can’t identify as your race because race isn’t tied to identity. Race is something you inherit. Unlike your sex, which is a genetic toss-up regardless of who your parents are, your race will be past down to you. Two black parents will never make a white baby. Two white parents will never make an Asian baby. You get the idea. What’s more, race has significant ties to heritage that gender (on its own) does not. Gender can be a part of your inherited cultural history. Young Jewish men having a Bar-mitzvah is a prime example. But there really aren’t any gender-only traditions that have always existed across all cultures.
Now, this isn’t to say you can’t be interested in another race’s culture. If you’re a white person wanting to take an African American studies class, do it! I personally think more of that is needed in this increasingly polarized and divided world we live in. It’s fine to learn more about others. That’s what being multicultural is all about. But it’s another thing entirely to take the history and ancestry of others and claim them as your own. They simply aren’t yours. Besides, your history doesn’t dictate how you have to live your life (at least it shouldn’t), so what reason is there to claim you came from a different linage?
That’s the problem with this situation that you might have heard before. Most of the think-pieces I read about this story when it was at the height of the public consciousness either touched on this point or had it as the focus. There’s another aspect of this though that I’ve not really heard anyone else mention before. It’s one that not only debunks the notion of racial identity, but exposes that claiming such is a racist act in itself.
When I tell my son that it’s time for bed, I don’t have to mention all the things that process involves. I don’t have to go over the list of brushing teeth, putting on pajamas, and getting into bed to read a book before lights out. All of those things are understood in the statement “time for bed”. There are many instances in our everyday lives where the things we say convey broader meaning beyond the words at face value. When I tell someone that I identify as a woman, there’s an implied message within that I want the person to treat me as they would treat another woman. I want to be referred to with female pronouns. I want to be allowed into women-only spaces. What I convey to that person is supposed to dictate either a change in or confirmation of the way they interact with me.
See, gender is really the only aspect of people where we are mostly okay with some degree of segregation. We address people differently according to their gender. We use specific pronouns, we enforce different dress codes (I know what you’re thinking but not tackling that one this time), we designate separate spaces like bathrooms and changing rooms. Ideally, it’s the only example of separate but equal that we can all agree on (in a perfect world, I know).
So then, if Diallo wants to tell me she identifies as black, does that imply she wants me to treat her as though she were black? And if so, what would that even mean? Remember, there’s no reason to identify as something unless that identity is tied to a system where the world would interact with you based upon it or it somehow makes you different. Last time I checked, treating black people or any race differently than others is racism. What exactly does she want me to do with that information? Is she wanting different treatment?
I realize this all seems like I’m just railing on a two-year-old news story, but it was just too good a case study to make my point with. All of the examples in my last post were just idiotic things people said as a deflection from acknowledging transgender people. In this case, there’s actually a semi-famous account of someone actually claiming it. Identifying as a race might not be as nakedly ridiculous as identifying as a meatball sub or whatever the next internet troll argument is, but it’s still wrong. Claiming to identify as a race is just an excuse to appropriate aspects of their culture because you think they look cool. Appropriating another’s culture isn’t a sign of respect: it’s taking something you didn’t inherit. As for Diallo, if she wants to work with the NAACP (and I think that’s a good thing), then she should use something she has that’s more powerful than a false identity: her white privilege.
Next time, something currently topical…I promise.
