Whether Dolezal is or is not black is not what is important here. At least that’s what NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says in a recent article for TIME Magazine.
MORE: Classic photos of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The legendary center believes that Dolezal’s race does not matter. What is important is that she stood up for the African-American cause.
Abdul-Jabbar does not deny the damning nature of the evidence, but believes the cause she fought for is much more important than the facts she may have falsified to get to the battle lines.
Abdul-Jabbar’s columns for TIME Magazine continue to be a brilliant intersection of an intelligent athletic mind and thought-provoking discussion.
Dr. King said we should be judged by the content of character rather than color of skin, which is what makes this case so difficult. So, yes, it does matter. Apparently lying to employers and the public you’re representing when the lie benefits you personally and professionally is a deficit in character. However, the fight for equality is too important to all Americans to lose someone as passionate as she is and who has accomplished as much as she has. This seems more a case of her standing up and saying, “I am Spartacus!” rather than a conspiracy to defraud. Let’s give her a Bill Clinton Get Out of Jail Free card on this one (#Ididnothavesex) and let her get back to doing what she clearly does exceptionally well—making America more American.
