Rachel Dolezal‘s parents have come forward to say their daughter, a prominent civil rights activist, has spent years lying about her race. If she identified herself as Black on legal forms was it a lie?All these and more should bubble up.
While serving as president of the Spokane, Wash., chapter of the NAACP and chairwoman of the city’s office of Police Ombudsman Commission, Dolezal portrayed herself as black.
The NAACP addressed the hot topic by saying:
For 106 years, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has held a long and proud tradition of receiving support from people of all faiths, races, colors and creeds. NAACP Spokane Washington Branch President Rachel Dolezal is enduring a legal issue with her family, and we respect her privacy in this matter. One’s racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership. The NAACP Alaska-Oregon-Washington State Conference stands behind Ms. Dolezal’s advocacy record. In every corner of this country, the NAACP remains committed to securing political, educational, and economic justice for all people, and we encourage Americans of all stripes to become members and serve as leaders in our organization. Hate language sent through mail and social media along with credible threats continue to be a serious issue for our units in the Pacific Northwest and across the nation. We take all threats seriously and encourage the FBI and the Department of Justice to fully investigate each occurrence.
Here are the questions I pondered:
1- Did no one think it odd that her friends from her childhood never wondered what was going on?
2- What type of stressful life was she leading after self identifying herself as Black?
3- Will this be the next thing for the world at large to do ala LGBT?