The race card reductio ad absurdum

Miss Black University of Texas winner slammed by black peers for not being ‘black enough’

Rachael Malonson was crowned Miss Black University of Texas on Sunday by the historically black fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi, but many social media users accused the pageant winner of not being “black enough,” and called her race purity into question.

After the fraternity posted a photo of Malonson’s win on Twitter, many disgruntled users commented on how light-skinned Malonson was, despite holding the prestigious title of Miss Black University of Texas.

Malonson, who is biracial, was under fire from social media users, one writing: “Her father may be black but socially, I see she doesn’t even claim it unless when it’s convenient for her. That’s that s*** I don’t like.”

Some even went as far as to compare her to controversial former NAACP president Rachel Dolezal, who claimed to be black despite being born a caucasian woman.

In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Malonson said, “For me, I’ve always had to battle ‘I’m not black enough.’ But to not just place, but win the title is truly rewarding.”

Malonson had previously addressed this very issue with her campus newspaper in March.

“I remember I felt so insecure because people didn’t understand who I was by my look,” she wrote.  “I’m confident in it now and see it as a unique trait where I’m able to teach people that not every black person [and] not every mixed person looks the same way.”

“The black community is supposed to support each other,” Malonson said. “If you’re black, you’re black.”

Malonson told The Dallas Morning News that the backlash to her crowning was so intense that she deleted her Twitter app from her phone.

Malonson’s brother Gregory posted a lengthy note Wednesday on Facebook, defending his sister, their heritage and ethnicity.

“On Sunday, my sister Rachel Malonson competed in and won the Miss Black UT Scholarship Pageant,” he wrote. “I am very proud of her and this great accomplishment but she has not been able to enjoy this moment. Since she has won the pageant there has been numerous comments concerning whether she is Black because of her skin tone and hair type. It sickens me that members of our Black community would attack their own because she is biracial (black). Our father is Black and hateful comments that question her race discredit our father and other Black fathers and mothers who have biracial (black) children. Instead of hating each other, we should unite and uplift each other. The only way our Black community can become stronger is if we support and love one another rather than tear each other down. Other communities will support us if they see that we stand united. It starts with US. We need to stand united instead hating each other based on our appearance.”

The paper reported that Malonson will graduate from the University of Texas later in May with a degree in journalism.

See some of the tweets directed at Malonson’s skin color below.