Rachael Dolezal was the center of a controversy last summer when she resigned as president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter in Spokane, Washington, following allegations that she lied about being black. Racial identity was the topic she chose to focus on in her speech.
Dolezal, who was at times visibly emotional, told the story from her perspective. She said she had always seen herself as black even when she was a little girl, but her world was turned upside down when her biological parents publicly broke the news about the racial identity she was born with. She described some of the hate she and her children received from strangers after the story broke.
“People even texted my children to say that their mother should jump off a bridge and do the world a favor,” Dolezal said.
Dolezal said she identifies as black because it most closely resembles who she is. But now she is terrified to speak on the subject of racial issues at all, because she said she knows that anything she says or does could be used as the basis for more hate.
She spoke at TEDxUIdaho not to face her fear, but because she said she cares.
“I”m here because I care intensely about the empowerment of others,” she said.
Jacob Bialk, 9, was next to take the stage and was not messing around.
“I”m just going to get straight down to the point,” Bialk said. “Let”s talk about couples.”
Bialk”s speech was all about the rules of relationships as seen from a child”s perspective. He said he is a good representative for this because his parents are the perfect couple.
He began with a list of habits people should maintain to maintain a healthy relationship. The list included things like saying “I love you,” starting every day with “Good morning sunshine” and giving each other a goodbye kiss whenever one leaves.
“If you are in true love, don”t break up,” Bialk said. “If it”s not broken, don”t throw it away.”
Bialk”s second list included things people shouldn”t do in a relationship, like refraining from saying “I love you,” yelling at each other or staying together even it obviously isn”t true love.
“For the sake of your kids, please don”t yell or hit each other, ever,” Bialk said.
To finish out the second session, Syrian refugee Asmaa took center stage to share the story of how she got to America. When the war broke out in Syria, Asmaa said she lost her husband and had to hide herself and her two teenage sons in a basement.
Asmaa didn”t want her children living in the state her country was in, so she decided to take her sons and flee to Jordan.
Eventually, Asmaa said she planned to travel to Europe, but then she got a phone call that let her know she and her sons had been accepted as refugees in America. Asmaa is the first Syrian refugee to be resettled in Idaho.
“If you see someone who looks like me, or different than you, please smile and be kind,” Asmaa said. “Thank you.”
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ErinBamer