How far would you go to prove a point?
In the case of self-professed "affirmative action hacktivist" Vijay Chokal-Ingam, far enough to send in medical school applications, claiming to be black. Chokal-Ingam is actually Indian-American, and happens to be the brother of actress and writer Mindy Kaling.
Chokal-Ingam is writing about his ruse — which he says proves that affirmative action is unjustified — in a new book called Almost Black. In it, he claims that he posed as a black man in order to attend medical school, believing he'd have a better chance if his race was different. He used his middle name, Jojo, joined the Organization of Black Students, and shaved his head so as to hide his Indian-American identity.
“In my junior year of college, I realized that I didn’t have the grades or test scores to get into medical school, at least not as an Indian-American,” the 38-year-old, who only completed two years of medical school before dropping out, writes on his website. “Still, I was determined to become a doctor and I knew that admission standards for certain minorities under affirmative action were, let’s say… less stringent?
“I became a serious contender at some of the greatest medical schools in America, including Harvard, Wash U, UPenn, Case Western, and Columbia,” he adds. “In all, I interviewed at 11 prestigious medical schools in nine major cities across America, while posing as a black man.”
Chokal-Ingam, who actively tweets about his fight against affirmative action and other political issues, told Page Six that his famous sister isn't necessarily impressed by his stunt.
“She says this will bring shame on the family,” he admitted.