Rachel Dolezal says she’s making a hoodie to protest H&M, but people aren’t here for it
Rachel Dolezal is in the news again.
The former NAACP chapter president turned crusader for “trans-racial” people created a hoodie to protest H&M’s latest controversy — a hoodie that read “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” worn by a young Black model.
“Here is my protest hoodie to counter H&M’s ‘Coolest Monkey in the Jungle’ shirt,” Dolezal said on Instagram. “I had to… because my son was called a ‘monkey’ in second grade, and I remember going to the principal about it. After educating the school officials about the historical context of the slur and demanding they operate under a zero tolerance policy for this type of harassment, the student was suspended. But, due to his parents being ‘offended’ that he was disciplined for calling my son a racial slur, they pulled him from public school and homeschooled him. This hits home with many of us moms, I’m sure…”
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“So, I spent today designing this new hoodie that my little son will soon be wearing with pride. In production now, sale is on for pre-orders before they ship on next Wednesday.”
Facing backlash in her comments section about the attempt to capitalize off the scandal that was a direct offense to Black shoppers —of which she is not— Dolezal said the money would go to her children, in lieu of not having a job.
“It’s an empowering shirt, denoting royalty,” Dolezal responded to a comment about proceeds from the sale of the hoodies. “I hope it makes kids who wear it feel 10 feet tall. Any profits will go directly to providing for my 3 Princes, though it’s a risk I’m taking to get the shirts made because if I don’t sell enough I might have to eat the cost. Most likely I’ll break even, but that’s the best I can do for protesting right now in the absence of a job. So, it’s not about filling pockets. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. You wanna make a different shirt or do something else? Coo… I think we should all be doing something to take a stand in these times.”
It was 2015 when Dolezal made headlines for using her White privilege to ascend racial lines and pose as a Black person. Outed by colleagues at Spokane’s NAACP, the 40-year-old stepped down from her role but continued to share that she “identifies” as a Black person.
