As the Rachel Dolezal kerfluffle unfolds, I find myself drifting back to two overarching thoughts: Why has she apparently been passing as Black and why should I care?

For the uninitiated, Dolezal is the president of the Spokane, Wash. branch of the NAACP and a professor of African-American studies at Eastern Washington University. Though she claims to be African-American, there is substantial evidence that Dolezal is, in fact, White.

Indeed, the biggest piece of proof that Rachel Dolezal is White is the very public declaration of her parents, Larry and Ruthanne Dolezal, that they are White and she, as their child, is also White.

Let’s deal with the second question first. On Wednesday night, there were few outside the Dolezal family and the beautiful city of Spokane (and it is beautiful; I’ve been there), who had heard of Rachel Dolezal. By Friday morning, her name was all over the lips of television anchors across the USA and in virtually every major newspaper, website and magazine.

Why? Beyond being president of the Spokane NAACP, how is what she does or how she lives impactful on public policy? With all due respect, why does she get 15 minutes of fame?

Perhaps Rachel Dolezal’s fame comes from how you answer the first question.

As a lifelong Black man, I am at a complete loss to grasp why someone who is not Black in America would want to be. Don’t get me wrong; I wouldn’t trade who I am and the people I know and love because of who I am for the world. I am proud, beyond my ability to express it, to be Black.

But it’s not easy.

I am a member of a race which, on average, makes less money that Whites. Blacks attend more inferior schools and live in less economically secure areas than Whites. The unemployment rate for Blacks is significantly higher than for Whites, and, as a percentage, Black men are incarcerated at a far higher rate than Whites.

While you can point to Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, LeBron James, Jay-Z or Beyonce as examples of Black people who have it good, you would hopefully concede that they are the exceptions, not the rule.

Disagree? Ask yourself, then, what the recent riots in my hometown of Baltimore were really about? Yes, there were more than a few looters who took advantage of the moment to enrich themselves, but the overwhelming majority of protestors were challenging a narrative that has historically harmed the progress of African-Americans, If your answer does not reflect that, then you, perhaps, are living in a state of denial.

Check out this Chris Rock clip for a humorous, if not seriously profane explanation of what I’m getting at. (By the way, my wife and I happened to be at this performance).

And, if that doesn’t work, try this Louis CK. Again, very profane, but very funny.

With that as a backdrop, when she does the inevitable sit-down with Robin Roberts or Matt Lauer or whoever, the only thing I want to hear from Rachel Dolezal is what she thought she was getting out of this.