Towards an Ethical Whiteness: the Case of Rachel Dolezal

Abstract

In June 2015, Rachel Dolezal - known in her local community in Spokane, Washington as a Black anti-racist activist - was revealed to be white. This project analyzes the discourse surrounding this event, and in particular narrative produced by Dolezal herself about her identification as Black, by focusing on her more implicit disidentification with and rejection of whiteness. What can this gesture tell us about how whiteness works, and what are the ethical and political implications of such a rejection?