Why did my mother get her HAIR BRAIDED BY RACHEL DOLEZAL pic.twitter.com/JedMG8FbUV
— silly girl in a silly skirt (@dumbjuicemfr) April 9, 2018
A Twitter user went viral after publicizing her mother’s new hairstyle came from none other than self-described transracial woman Rachel Dolezal.
Rayne, whose username is @raynesimm on the social media website, tweeted Monday, April 9 wondering how her mom, Annette, wound up with Dolezal as her hairstylist.
“Why did my mother get her HAIR BRAIDED BY RACHEL DOLEZAL?” Rayne asked of the former Spokane, Wa. NAACP leader who passed as Black for years before being outed as white in 2015.
Rayne further explained that her mother works as a traveling nurse and had been in the Idaho/Washington area. In search of someone to do her hair, Annette failed to find anyone who could until one of her patients referred her to Dolzeal, who is the patient’s friend.
“She and Rachel are friends now,” Rayne tweeted of her mother before making a reference to “Get Out.” “My mom may be in the sunken place idk??”
Annette posted several images of her new ‘do including two alongside Dolezal, who she said “got a bum deal” from the media and is a “nice lady who is down to earth and talented.”
“My mom is a very compassionate person, she’s a nurse, so I think she understands how the media can run with a specific story,” Rayne told Atlanta Black Star Wednesday, April 11. “No one really took the time to understand Rachel and why she did the things she did. I’d like to add that my mom did speak her piece with Rachel on the blackface etc.”
Still, that doesn’t mean Annette’s daughter has quite warmed up to Dolezal, who notably tanned herself to appear darker than her natural pale skin tone.
“I don’t think my opinion has changed very much actually, which is why I made the tweet,” she said. “I am more open to speaking with her and really understanding her, which may change my opinion, but as of now it hasn’t really. I’m still very hurt by what Rachel did.”
While Rayne tweeted that she “will not tolerate any mom slander!!! My mom goofy af but y’all dead wrong if you think she’s dumb,” some felt compelled to spew negativity.
“Maybe she needs intervention lol,” someone tweeted.
Ummm pic.twitter.com/grhOn1BOxh
— Julian Rafael Hassan Roden (@WWJRHRD) April 9, 2018
Plus, Rayne said that there were comments that were even more hurtful than those.
“Two people (maybe more, it’s hard to keep up) called my mom a ‘coon,’ which I think was excessive,” she said explained.
However, Rayne said she and her mother largely find the rude comments “laughable” and positive ones have Annette so happy that she won’t stop sending her daughter selfies.
“She also reminded me that there will always be haters, so not to dwell on anything too long!” Rayne added.
And although some may not have wanted to admit it, glimpsing the selfies of Annette made them confess Dolezal wasn’t half bad at braiding.
“I mean…if Rachel hooked your momma’s hair up I can’t deny good braiding skills.” someone tweeted. “She got game she got game! It is what it is.”
“Your Mom looks amazing, girl,” said someone else. “She is legit glowing. ✨💫”
“We all know how it feels after you get your hair done, so don’t deny that feeling to anyone – regardless of who’s braiding,” said Rayne, who noted Dolezal’s clients, including her mother, are pleased with the single mother’s braiding skills.
Despite the positivity, negativity remains and Rayne has a message for those who take issue with the way Annette engaged with Dolezal.
“To those who speak negatively of my mother and her newfound friend, please understand that we cannot continue to build walls and disassociate from things we find uncomfortable,” she said. “We have to confront them directly in order to find peace within ourselves and the greater community. We can’t keep running from disagreement, especially in these times.”
