Rachel Dolezal may have divided public opinion after news broke about her being a white woman claiming to be black, but for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the embattled former NAACP Spokane, Washington chapter president ‘s efforts to support of African-Americans over the years is what really matters.
In an op-ed for Time magazine, Abdul-Jabbar likened Dolezal’s situation to him revealing that he’s not as tall as he is.
“See, I too have been living a lie,” the sports icon wrote in his mock confession. “For the past 50 years I’ve been keeping up this public charade, pretending to be something I’m not. Finally, in the wake of so many recent personal revelations by prominent people, I’ve decided to come out with the truth.
“I am not tall (#shortstuff).
“Although I’ve been claiming to be 7’2” for many decades, the truth is that I’m 5’8”, continued Abdul-Jabbar. “And that’s when I first get out of bed in the morning. Just goes to show, you tell a lie often enough and people believe you.”
To further emphasize his point, Abdul-Jabbar, alluded to demands from some to, “give back the championship rings and titles that I accumulated during my college and professional basketball career because I was only able to win them by convincing other players that they had no chance against my superior height. “
Although he acknowledgd how the evidence against Dolezal, seems “pretty damning,” with touching on the “parental love” her parents showed by outing her, criticism from her adopted black brothers and her resignation from her position with the NAACP, Abdul-Jabbar countered with the following view:
Despite all this, you can’t deny that Dolezal has proven herself a fierce and unrelenting champion for African-Americans politically and culturally. Perhaps some of this sensitivity comes from her adoptive black siblings. Whatever the reason, she has been fighting the fight for several years and seemingly doing a first-rate job. Not only has she led her local chapter of the NAACP, she teaches classes related to African-American culture at Eastern Washington University and is chairwoman of a police oversight committee monitoring fairness in police activities. Bottom line: The black community is better off because of her efforts.
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(Photo Source: PR Photos)
