It's difficult to follow the logic of this op-ed column, but it seems to me that the author is upset that someone who is not black is able to enjoy the advantages of being black. Notice that this implies that there are advantages to being black. "Black" is a privileged status in American society today. If it weren't, why would the author care that someone who is white identifies as black or wants to be black, and why would Rachel Dolezal identify as black or want to be black? It hasn't always paid to be black in this country, but it does now, because many whites have internalized the belief that they are guilty and have, as a result, come to feel guilty. Dolezal "came out" as black at about the time it began to pay. Think about it. The author of the op-ed column knows, deep down, that she is now privileged, and she's guarding that privilege as best she can.
Race
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