THE CURIOUS CASE OF RACIAL SHIFTING (Or, When Being White Isn’t Enough):

The Native American population in the United States has experienced an astonishing 86.5% growth between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. Census. Demographers argue that such a rate of increase is impossible to achieve through natural birth rates alone, leading to the conclusion that individuals who previously identified as white are now claiming to be Native American.

This phenomenon, referred to as “racial shifting” or “pretendian,” reflects a growing movement where people are fleeing their white identities rather than facing political or social persecution. In essence, a significant number of white folks have begun identifying as Native Americans over the past few decades largely as a way to abandon their white identity and identify with a marginalized group.

As Elizabeth Price Foley asked here in 2015, “If gender is merely a matter of self-identification, should not race be also? I have always thought that, given the affirmative action-laden higher education admissions process, applicants should self-identify as ‘black’ or ‘Native American’ whenever they so desire.  I mean, why not? If they feel black or Native American, should not they be able to claim such an identity, as Rachel Dolezal has done? Doing so would quickly cause affirmative action to collapse of its own ridiculous weight.”

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