Race, as Rachel Dolezal repeatedly reminds us in this documentary, is fundamentally a social construct, with no hard-and-fast definitions of what it means to be "black" or "white". So is there anything wrong with a woman who would be near-universally considered to be white, as Dolezal herself is, choosing to define herself as black? The answer is obviously "yes": the reason this matters is because of the discrimination and disadvantage that black people suffer from; a white person can be an ally, but by trying to place themselves at the centre of the story, they can only detract from it. Dolezal made this film after becoming infamous for her deception, and it's clearly an attempt at rehabilitation: she comes across as sincere, and as the victim of a fairly horrific childhood, but also as someone who doesn't understand that her own tale just isn't as important as she would like it to be. Attention that could be focused on racism is instead focused on a bizarre human-interest story, which I admit, I also find quite interesting; but it would have been better has there been no story to tell. I wouldn't wish Dolezal ill; but sadly, she doesn't seem to realise that the best way to make amends might be to be silent. She could still live a worthwhile life; as a champion for the authentically black community, she can only do more harm than good.
Review of The Rachel Divide
