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Netflix’s Rachel Dolezal documentary could be their worst idea yet

Anyone who ever thought “Rachel Dolezal” was a name of the past is sadly mistaken.

In 2015, when it was reveled the she falsified records about her ethnicity, Dolezal lost her position as the president of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP. At that point, at least in my eyes, that was it for her.

The story went viral, she was largely disliked, and after publicly admitting she was biologically born white to white parents on the daytime talkshow The Real, people felt like that got what they needed to hear, and she escaped our consciousness.

Three years later and Netflix is resurrecting her act with a new special called The Rachel Divide, which premieres on Netflix April 27.

Netflix released a clip of the series this week, and to say it’s cringeworthy would be an understatement.

In the scene, Dolezal’s son warns her of the possible backlash of the documentary and the affects it’s bound to have on their lives. Though clearly distraught, she presses on.

“Why didn’t you just let it go away?” he asks, as she attempts an answer about redeeming herself in the public eye. “This is gonna affect more than just your life.”

The documentary’s director, Laura Brownson, offered some insight to Dolezal’s motives during her interview with Vulture. Brownson explained why she chose to tell this particular story:

“In making the film, I came to a deeper understanding of the raw nerve that Rachel hits in our society, but I also learned that her motivations to identify as she does are far more complicated than most realize. Regardless of how people feel about Rachel, I hope the film will challenge audiences to think more deeply about race and identity in America.”

Even though there are some applauding her message, the fact remains that Rachel Dolezal lied. All the way up until her interview with The Real she made conflicting public statements, she was challenged by relatives, including her parents, and she fabricated baseless stories of racially motivated harassment and intimidation.

Why her story matters after all of this is a head scratcher for me. She’s white, she thinks she’s Black, she’s lied about being Black. Period

I wasn’t the only one who felt a way.

https://twitter.com/DrTGIF/status/971589820735721472

https://twitter.com/DavidDTSS/status/971710062048706560

https://twitter.com/KaraRBrown/status/971587816579715072

This just might be Netflix’s worst Idea to date and it seems like we have no choice but to watch it unfold.