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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