The world’s favorite racial chameleon, Nkechi Amare Diallo, better known to the public as Rachel Dolezal—yes, that Rachel Dolezal—is back on the radar. This time, our protagonist finds herself booted from her role as a part-time after-school instructor and contract substitute with Catalina Foothills School District, located north of Tucson in Pima County, a position she had held since August 2023.
The reason? Some of her racy OnlyFans content embarked on an unsanctioned journey across the wider web. If the Catalina Foothills School District (CFSD) was unaware of Dolezal’s/Diallo‘s side hustle before, they are certainly well-informed now.
Schools enforce social media guidelines for good reason, especially considering parents’ concerns about their children’s exposure to inappropriate online content. That’s come into play here. “She is no longer employed by the Catalina Foothills School District,” said a district spokeswoman in mid-February 2024.
Didn’t it dawn on Dolezal/Diallo that her in-the-buff antics might get a little daylight? That’s a masterclass in “Consequences? Never heard of ‘em” denial.
Reconstructing Race
Let’s rewind to mid-2015, when Rachel, as she was called back then, became the international poster child for identity fluidity. Her Caucasian biological parents yelled something like, “Hold on! That’s not right!” and the truth set her free. Yep, she was catapulted into infamy and off her perch as the President of the Spokane Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Now, some of you armchair philosophers might be asking, “But if race is a social construct, why can’t she be whatever she wants?” Ah, if only it were that simple. If Dolezal’s/Diallo‘s saga were just about racial identification and nothing else, perhaps we could all have a kumbaya moment and move on. But alas, the plot thickens.
Beyond her headline-grabbing racial identity switcheroo, Dolezal’s/Diallo‘s backstory is peppered with charges of welfare fraud, adding just a hint of fiscal spice to the mix. There’s also that claim of her misconduct on the Spokane Police Oversight Board. The news keeps getting crazier, prompting one to wonder if there’s some underlying mental health trauma that hasn’t been adequately addressed. Hint: Can you say “puritanical Christian upbringing” five times real fast?
But more to the point of racial identity, let’s dive into why Dolezal’s/Diallo‘s claim to Blackness is more tangled than those headphone wires in your pocket.
The Dolezal/Diallo Dilemma
Identity Shopping: Born to white fundamentalist Christian parents, Dolezal’s/Diallo‘s leap into a Black or trans-Black identity wasn’t just a bold fashion statement; it was seen as a full-on identity heist. Critics argue that you can’t just swap racial identities like last season’s handbags, especially when it means sidestepping into a group historically oppressed and marginalized.
Cultural Kleptomania: Dolezal’s/Diallo‘s racial rebranding was slammed as cultural appropriation on steroids. It’s one thing to appreciate and respect another culture, but quite another to slap on a new identity like a Halloween costume, complete with experiences and struggles you’ve never faced.
Reality Check: By claiming a Black identity, Dolezal/Diallo was accused of trivializing the real, lived experiences of Black people in America and beyond—experiences marked by systemic racism and discrimination from day one.
Opportunity Thief: With her new racial identity, Dolezal/Diallo snagged roles and recognition meant for actual Black individuals, sparking outrage over her commandeering of resources and platforms designed to empower the marginalized been-Black-my-whole-life community.
Distraction Disaster: The dilemma didn’t just eat up media airtime; it diverted crucial attention away from pressing racial injustices to debate over her personal identity crisis, a sideshow many felt the world could well do without.Life Moves On
Fast forward to 2017, Rachel Dolezal penned “In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World,” a memoir that perhaps aimed to clarify her side of the story. The book boasts a respectable 4.4 out of 5 stars with 543 ratings on Amazon, indicating there’s a dedicated, if not sizable, audience for her narrative—an audience that could grow now that she’s staged a comeback of sorts. This brings us full circle to the recent debacle involving nude imagery and explicit acts shared online, something any responsible teacher of children would have instantly identified as wholly inappropriate.
Here’s one take-away of this long-winded story: If today’s troubles have got you down, remember—at least you’re not Rachel Dolezal/Nkechi Diallo, a woman who, for years, has falsely presented herself as a black woman. She is forever destined to be a cautionary tale of identity gone awry…again. Pass the popcorn, would you, please?
Hmmmm, apparently Clarence Thomas seems resentful he wasn’t born white while Rachel Dolezal/Nkechi Amare Diallo apparently wishes she was born black. Perhaps John Landis should make a film about those two titled “Trading Races”?
Everyone of your bullet points in the “dilemma” box applies equally well to trans-woman as to trans-black. You can’t swap identities like a purse, its cultural appropriation, it’s trivializing real experiences of those who grew up female, it steals opportunities from those who did experience oppression their entire lives, and it distracts from real injustices to women the world over.