The case of Rachel Dolezal has challenged the fluidity of race and the way we think of modern passing. Many have stated that Rachel Dolezal is an example of reverse passing. In "standard passing," a person usually passes into a more privileged race; African Americans passed as whites as it would lend them more economic opportunities and would allow for a better quality of life. Another example would be Koreans passing as Japanese during the Japanese occupation. In essence, passing usually occurs when there is inequity. However, in Rachel Dolezal was born as a white American, but self identified as a African American. The common accusation of Rachel Dolezal is that she was dishonest about her own past and that she performed cultural appropriation. Additionally some have stated that her case is related to her white privilege as she was able to take the "good parts" of being African American, but she does not have to endure the same discrimination that African American women face. However, I would argue that, although she was possibly dishonest, she had an overall positive impact on the community she was affecting. In her documentary, "The Rachel Divide", local reporters stated that she was effectively raising awareness around African American issues despite the lack of diversity in Spokane Washington. She advocated for the rights of African Americans in court, she adopted two black children, and when she was part of the NAACP, she received significant discrimination. I would argue that she has had a positive effect on her community and that she has lived through some of the struggles of an African American woman. Her case questions how we define "Blackness". If a girl was born white into an African American family, but was unaware of her race and believed that she was African American and was treated by others as an African American then what physically or socially distinguishes that person from a person born into the African American identity? The main issue that I have with Rachel Dolezal's case is that she changed her own appearance to appear African American. Most likely, she was aware that she did not look African American and so she decided to change her appearance. However, by committing this action she is effectively playing into the stereotype of what an African American woman looks like and is "performing" her own identity.