Parents' Guide to The Rachel Divide

Filmmaker Laura Brownson's THE RACHEL DIVIDE takes an intimate look at Rachel Dolezal, deceiver, provocateur, and committed activist. Having been "outed" as a white American by birth, Dolezal, who for years had been presenting herself as an African American to gain status and credibility in the community of Spokane, Washington, refused to admit culpability. Instead, she made (and continues) to make a case for the notion that race, as she defines it, is a "construct." Because she identifies and thinks of herself as African American, she should be accepted as such. Much of the film follows Dolezal through a critical period in her life. She's writing a book, pregnant with her third son, dealing with the fallout of her exposure, and, importantly, raising two teen sons, both of whom are profoundly affected by their mother's behavior. Brownson also interviews a number of African American women who were taken in by Dolezal's deceit. And throughout, the filmmaker traces the history of her subject -- a disturbing childhood during which she was raised with four adopted African American siblings by a religious couple who have been accused of abuse by some of those children.