The breaking story ignited an explosion of discussions and reactions, particularly in Black Society. Some schools of thought within Black Society imply that Dolezal’s act in ‘Blackface’ was a noble one; that she–unlike the overwhelming majority of the dominant white society that she originates from–is doing the work that many people even in Black Society chose not to do. Dolezal’s Blackfaced facade has evoked the spirit and memory of John Brown, the white abolitionist who allegedly sacrificed his life after leading a slave uprising against whites which led to his death by execution in 1859. Although Brown did not attempt to hide his racial identity like Dolezal, his leadership of the charge into Harpers Ferry portrays an image of a white man who deeply ingrained himself into a state of empathy for the oppressed Melanoid people–much like Rachel Dolezal in 2015–to the point of reportedly fighting for our right to obtain freedom and justice, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

In present day, Rachel Dolezal could very well remind many Black American history enthusiasts of John Brown, although the depths of her desire for true Black Empowerment remains to be seen. What can be proven, however, is Black Society’s eagerness to anoint the next “white hope”…someone who we can proclaim is ‘exceptional’ and ‘genuine’ as they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us in the fight against systematic racism/white supremacy. We have witnessed such a phenomenon in the areas of society that we dominate, such as hip-hop or sports, for example. For years, many of us in Black Society have found it flattering to witness a member of the dominant society come in and rap like us, conquer us in the sports we dominate, and now take on the physical attributes that we were naturally born with as African people. In the case of Rachel Dolezal, it now appears that whites will take the leading roles as “Black” activists as well. While it has been proven many times that the NAACP’s agenda has been counterproductive to true Melanoid Empowerment, it now appears that Dolezal’s position as the President of the Spokane chapter of the 106-year-old organization has given people the assumption that we as Melanoid people are incapable of leading our own movements in the fight for justice.

With all evidence pointing to the fact that an all-out war has been declared on Melanoid people, maybe we should re-visit the fact that the acceptance of a “white chocolate” into the ranks of Black Society should be cause for concern. Are they “down” because they want to aid us in pursuing Melanoid Empowerment, or otherwise?

by B. Clark