What’s The Deal With “The Rachel Divide”

Rachel Dolezal gained notoriety (or infamy) in 2015 after it was revealed that the former NAACP leader was white, not black as she had previously claimed.  The reveal came after Dolezal’s parents, both of whom are white, issued a public statement about their and their daughter’s racial background. Dolezal later claimed to be “trans-racial” to explain her actions.

Netflix’s new documentary picks up in the aftermath of those revelations, with the goal of starting “a larger conversation about race and identity.” But the company received criticism on social media from users who felt the film distracted from issues experienced by actual black people.

Netflix issued a statement via Twitter defending the documentary as “a part of the larger conversation, including people who see her actions as the ultimate expression of white privilege.” The company also said Dolezal was not paid to appear in the film.