Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Of course it's about identity

Race may be a social construct, but it is based on a biology that is, at this point, immutable. One drop was enough to be categorized as inferior to the purebred blend.

We could say that in America, race describes your heritage. Where your ancestors came from and how they carried on after they arrived. For most, black describes a person whose heritage is the Sub-Saharan African experience on American soil.

The heritage of the European experience on American soil is what most consider to be white.


In high school, two white acquaintances told me they didn't think of me as black (which I think it was supposed to be a compliment).

As an adult, a black family friend often teases my mom about how my siblings and I are not black enough.

So what, in addition to wigs and weaves and manufactured tan, does Rachel Dolezal mean when she says she is black?



Of course it's about identity.

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