Jon Stewart on Rachel Dolezal: ‘WHAAAAAAT?’

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Jon Stewart doesn’t tape on Fridays, so the universe had to wait until Monday night to hear his insight into the Rachel Dolezal scandal, which caused the internet to implode over the weekend.
In case you haven’t been following (or spent your weekend binge watching “Orange is the New Black”) : Rachel Dolezal, head of the Spokane, Washington, chapter of the NAACP, was discovered to have spent 10 years living as a black woman despite being very, very white. (Or, per Stewart: “Czech, Swedish and German? That’s really f**king white.”)
Read: The Original Rachel Dolezal Was a Jew Named Mezz Mezirow
In typical Jon Stewart fashion, the comedian started the segment with a succinct sentiment: “WHAAAAAAAT?”
He then called on the Daily Show’s “senior black correspondent” to explain the situation: Welcome, Jordan Klepper!(Also very, very white.)
Thankfully, actual black correspondent Jessica Williams stepped in to give one of the best analyses of the situation so far: “We don’t need oppression cosplay. We need allies, not replacements.”
Watch the whole segment here:
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
— Alyssa Katz, editor-in-chief
