Jon Stewart And Jessica Williams Are MIGHTY Confused By This Whole White-Lady-Pretending-To-Be-Black Thing
"We don't need oppression cosplay."
A few days ago the revelation that Spokane, Washington NAACP President Rachel Dolezal is actually a white lady who’s been pretending to be black by tanning her skin and wearing a weave for the last ten years was met with a mixture of bewilderment, hilarity, outrage and offense. The novelty of the story piqued the interest of news outlets and social media, and Dolezal has become something of a national punchline, albeit a highly polarising one — former basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nightly Show host Larry Wilmore, writer Tamar Winfrey Harris and rapper Killer Mike are among the most prominent black Americans pointing out the flaws in Dolezal’s thinking and explaining the damage she has wrought.
After #RachelDolezal‘s interview I have also decided to explain my own #transracial life pic.twitter.com/BB4okxshVm
— Nathan Zed (@TheThirdPew) June 16, 2015
If at this point you can’t see the harm Rachel Dolezal has done I’m completely done with you. No excuses.
— Ijeoma Oluo (@IjeomaOluo) June 16, 2015
Stop defending a white woman in blackface. You wouldn’t defend a white man in blackface. That should end the conversation. #RachelDolezal
— Imani Gandy (@AngryBlackLady) June 16, 2015
As Dolezal and her white parents do the rounds on morning TV and the story continues to unfold in increasingly bizarre ways — apparently Dolezal sued Howard University for racial discrimination, back when she still “identified” as white — the Daily Show have thrown their hat in the ring to wrap their collective heads around the whole mess. It’s a good recap of what’s transpired so far, and an explainer of why Dolezal’s actions have caused far more harm than any ostensible good she might have done as the president of the Spokane NAACP. In Jessica Williams’ words, “we need allies, not replacements.”