Race relations have been at an all-time high this past year. It seems as if every week there’s a new story about a racial issue. The Rachel Dolezal situation was one of the most interesting cases I’ve heard all year.

Race is a social construct. Rachel Dolezal can say that she identifies as black, but what does it mean to be black?

It can mean so many things. Being black has to do with the way society sees a person. One is considered black if they have dark skin or any feature that might make them appear to be black.

If a black person were to say that they identified as white, people would laugh at them. It’s totally clear that they aren’t white.

The black community would also scold them. There’s always that one person who will say, “You’re trying to be white.” I’ve seen black people badmouth black celebrities who they feel are against the race. If the person looks light in a picture, they get upset.

The issue people had with Dolezal is that she identified with different races at different times. She said she identified as black since she was 5 years old, yet she sued Howard as a white woman. The deception is the problem. You can’t pick and choose when you want to be a part of a race.

I think Dolezal needed to resign because the issue was being blown out of proportion. Who cares what she identifies as? It’s horrible that she lied, but there are so many positive things that come from the NAACP. Dolezal made a lot of contributions to the African American community. That’s something that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Although I think Dolezal’s lies were crazy, I don’t think she should be ridiculed. People have the right to identify as whatever they want.

The funny tweets and #AskRachel hashtag seemed to mainly be just jokes. There are a lot of people who don’t care what Dolezal identifies as—it’s the things she says in interviews that make her a target.

Despite this interesting story that continues to evolve, we’re being distracted from other things. We’re forgetting about the police brutality that African Americans deal with, the senseless killings and terror people face because of the color of their skin. Dolezal identifying as black is minor in comparison to the horrible things that are happening to black people on a daily basis.

kperki4@dailyillini.com