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'''Rachel Anne Dolezal''' (also spelled '''Doležal''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|oʊ|l|ə|ʒ|ɑː|l|,_|-|ʒ|æ|l}};<ref name=Moyer-13-6-2015 /> born November 12, 1977) is an American civil rights activist and former [[Africana studies]] instructor. She was president of the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]] (NAACP) chapter in [[Spokane, Washington]], from 2014 until June 15, 2015, when she resigned following allegations that she had lied about her racial identity and other aspects of her biography.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/article/rachel-dolezal-black-woman-cover-blown-hate-crimes|title=How Rachel Dolezal's Cover as a Black Woman Was Blown : People.com|work=PEOPLE.com}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{cite web | url=http://www.wfsb.com/story/29322282/spokane-naacp-president-rachel-dolezal-resigns | title=Spokane NAACP president Rachel Dolezal resigns | publisher=WFSB Eyewitness News 3 | accessdate=June 15, 2015 | first= George |last= Jones}}</ref><ref name="kxly">{{cite news |url=http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/ewu-releases-statement-on-rachel-dolezal/33552506|title=EWU releases statement on Rachel Dolezal|first= Brittany |last= Paris|date=June 13, 2015|publisher=KXLY}}</ref><ref name=nytimes>{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/rachel-dolezal-naacp-president-accused-of-lying-about-her-race.html | title=NAACP Leader Rachel Dolezal Posed as Black, Parents Say | work=The New York Times | date=June 12, 2015 | accessdate=June 12, 2015 | last=Victor| first= Daniel}}</ref><ref name=newsweek>{{cite news | url=http://www.newsweek.com/family-accuses-naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-falsely-portraying-herself-black-342511 | title=Family Accuses NAACP Leader Rachel Dolezal of Falsely Portraying Herself as Black | work=Newsweek | date=June 12, 2015 | accessdate=June 12, 2015 | last=Mosendz |first=Polly}}</ref>In |
'''Rachel Anne Dolezal''' (also spelled '''Doležal''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|oʊ|l|ə|ʒ|ɑː|l|,_|-|ʒ|æ|l}};<ref name=Moyer-13-6-2015 /> born November 12, 1977) is an American civil rights activist and former [[Africana studies]] instructor. She was president of the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]] (NAACP) chapter in [[Spokane, Washington]], from 2014 until June 15, 2015, when she resigned following allegations that she had lied about her racial identity and other aspects of her biography.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/article/rachel-dolezal-black-woman-cover-blown-hate-crimes|title=How Rachel Dolezal's Cover as a Black Woman Was Blown : People.com|work=PEOPLE.com}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{cite web | url=http://www.wfsb.com/story/29322282/spokane-naacp-president-rachel-dolezal-resigns | title=Spokane NAACP president Rachel Dolezal resigns | publisher=WFSB Eyewitness News 3 | accessdate=June 15, 2015 | first= George |last= Jones}}</ref><ref name="kxly">{{cite news |url=http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/ewu-releases-statement-on-rachel-dolezal/33552506|title=EWU releases statement on Rachel Dolezal|first= Brittany |last= Paris|date=June 13, 2015|publisher=KXLY}}</ref><ref name=nytimes>{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/rachel-dolezal-naacp-president-accused-of-lying-about-her-race.html | title=NAACP Leader Rachel Dolezal Posed as Black, Parents Say | work=The New York Times | date=June 12, 2015 | accessdate=June 12, 2015 | last=Victor| first= Daniel}}</ref><ref name=newsweek>{{cite news | url=http://www.newsweek.com/family-accuses-naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-falsely-portraying-herself-black-342511 | title=Family Accuses NAACP Leader Rachel Dolezal of Falsely Portraying Herself as Black | work=Newsweek | date=June 12, 2015 | accessdate=June 12, 2015 | last=Mosendz |first=Polly}}</ref>InJune 2015, Dolezal came to media attention when her Caucasian parents stated publicly that Dolezal is a white woman [[Passing (racial identity)|passing]] as [[Black people|black]]. Their statement followed Dolezal's reports to police and local news media that she had been the victim of nine [[hate crime]]s.<ref name=nytimes/><ref name=Selle2015/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/did-naacp-president-lie-about-her-race-city-investigates/33533026|title=Did NAACP president lie about her race? City investigates|first= Jeff |last= Humphrey|date=June 11, 2015|publisher=KXLY}}</ref> Dolezal's critics contend that she has committed [[cultural appropriation]] and fraud; Dolezal and her defenders contend her racial identity is genuine while not based on biology or ancestry.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rachel Dolezal in Center of Storm, Is Defiant, ‘I Identify as Black’|date=June 16, 2015|last1=Johnson|first1=Kirk|last2=Pérez-Peña|first2=Richard|last3=Eligon|first3=John|authorlink2=Richard Pérez-Peña|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/rachel-dolezal-nbc-today-show.html|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> In a November 2015 television interview, Dolezal publicly stated for the first time since the controversy began that she was born white, while still stating that she identifies as black.<ref name="Time born white"/><ref name="People born white"/><ref name="Today born white"/> |
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In response, the NAACP issued a statement saying that "[o]ne's racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/15/414655045/rachel-dolezal-resigns-as-president-of-spokane-naacp|title=Rachel Dolezal Resigns As President Of Spokane NAACP|date=June 15, 2015|work=NPR.org}}</ref><ref name="guardian">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/12/civil-rights-activist-rachel-dolezal-misrepresented-herself-as-black-claim-parents | title=Civil rights activist Rachel Dolezal misrepresented herself as black, claim parents | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=June 12, 2015 | accessdate=June 12, 2015 | last=Elgot| first= Jessica}}</ref> She was chair of Spokane's police [[ombudsman]] commission from 2014 until she was dismissed by the city council on June 18, 2015 over "a pattern of misconduct".<ref name="kxly-city-council-removes-dolezal-from-spokane-police-ombudsman-commission" /><ref name="theguardian-commission" /> From 2008 to 2010 Dolezal was education director at the Human Rights Education Institute in [[Coeur d'Alene, Idaho]], before resigning due to alleged discrimination.<ref name=nytimes/><ref name=Graman>{{cite news |first=Kevin |last=Graman |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jul/28/human-rights-educator-resigns/ |title=Human Rights Educator Rachel Dolezal Resigns |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=July 28, 2010}}</ref><ref name=KinseyClarke>{{cite news| first= Kinsey |last= Clarke| title =Making Sense Of Rachel Dolezal, The Alleged White Woman Who Passed As Black| quote =... Rachel Dolezal, a leader of the Human Rights Education Institute ...| publisher=[[NPR]]| date =June 12, 2015| url =http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/06/12/413887930/making-sense-of-rachel-dolezal-the-alleged-white-woman-who-passed-as-black| accessdate = June 12, 2015}}</ref> As of July 2015, Dolezal works as a [[hairdresser]].<ref name="Malkin">{{cite news| first= Bonnie |last= Malkin| title = Rachel Dolezal making a living braiding hair | publisher=telegraph.co.uk| date = July 21, 2015 | url =http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11752577/Rachel-Dolezal-I-am-black-and-I-havent-deceived-anyone.html| accessdate = July 21, 2015 | location=London}}</ref> |
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In June 2015, Dolezal came to media attention when her Caucasian parents stated publicly that Dolezal is a white woman [[Passing (racial identity)|passing]] as [[Black people|black]]. Their statement followed Dolezal's reports to police and local news media that she had been the victim of nine [[hate crime]]s.<ref name=nytimes/><ref name=Selle2015/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/did-naacp-president-lie-about-her-race-city-investigates/33533026|title=Did NAACP president lie about her race? City investigates|first= Jeff |last= Humphrey|date=June 11, 2015|publisher=KXLY}}</ref> Dolezal's critics contend that she has committed [[cultural appropriation]] and fraud; Dolezal and her defenders contend her racial identity is genuine while not based on biology or ancestry.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rachel Dolezal in Center of Storm, Is Defiant, ‘I Identify as Black’|date=June 16, 2015|last1=Johnson|first1=Kirk|last2=Pérez-Peña|first2=Richard|last3=Eligon|first3=John|authorlink2=Richard Pérez-Peña|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/rachel-dolezal-nbc-today-show.html|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> In a November 2015 television interview, Dolezal publicly stated for the first time since the controversy began that she was born white, while still stating that she identifies as black.<ref name="Time born white"/><ref name="People born white"/><ref name="Today born white"/> |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
Rachel Dolezal
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Born | Rachel Anne Dolezal (1977-11-12) November 12, 1977 (age 46)
Lincoln County, Montana, United States
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Nationality | American |
Other names |
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Alma mater |
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Occupations |
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Spouse | Kevin Moore (divorced) |
Children | 2 |
Parents |
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Rachel Anne Dolezal (also spelled Doležal /ˈdoʊləʒɑːl, -ʒæl/;[4] born November 12, 1977) is an American civil rights activist and former Africana studies instructor. She was president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter in Spokane, Washington, from 2014 until June 15, 2015, when she resigned following allegations that she had lied about her racial identity and other aspects of her biography.[5][6][7][8][9] In June 2015, Dolezal came to media attention when her Caucasian parents stated publicly that Dolezal is a white woman passingasblack. Their statement followed Dolezal's reports to police and local news media that she had been the victim of nine hate crimes.[8][10][11] Dolezal's critics contend that she has committed cultural appropriation and fraud; Dolezal and her defenders contend her racial identity is genuine while not based on biology or ancestry.[12] In a November 2015 television interview, Dolezal publicly stated for the first time since the controversy began that she was born white, while still stating that she identifies as black.[13][14][15]
In response, the NAACP issued a statement saying that "[o]ne's racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership."[16][17] She was chair of Spokane's police ombudsman commission from 2014 until she was dismissed by the city council on June 18, 2015 over "a pattern of misconduct".[18][19] From 2008 to 2010 Dolezal was education director at the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, before resigning due to alleged discrimination.[8][20][21] As of July 2015, Dolezal works as a hairdresser.[3]
Dolezal was born in Lincoln County, Montana, on November 12, 1977,[10][22] to parents Ruthanne (née Schertel) and Lawrence "Larry" Dolezal. Both white and primarily of Czech, German and Swedish origin,[17][10][23][24] Dolezal's parents have been married since 1974.[10] She has an older biological brother, Joshua.[25] When Dolezal was a teenager, her parents adopted three African-American children and one Haitian child.[26] Dolezal has said she was born and lived in a teepee, recounting how the family hunted for their food with bow and arrow.[27] Her mother stated she and Dolezal's father briefly lived in a teepee in 1974 three years before their daughter was born and called Dolezal's claims "totally false".[10][28][29] From 2002 to 2006, her parents and adopted siblings lived in South AfricaasChristian missionaries. Dolezal said she lived in South Africa as a child, but her family disputes the claim.[30][31]
Dolezal was homeschooled via the Christian Liberty Academy CLASS program, achieving a 4.0 GPA. She was one of several co-valedictorians upon graduation in 1996. She was a recipient of a $2,000 scholarship awarded by Tandy Leather for her entry in their 1996 Leather Art contest.[10][32] At Spokane's 1998 Juneteenth celebration, Dolezal's father told a newspaper reporter he had never heard of the event commemorating the abolition of slavery until she learned of it via an Internet search while looking for a venue to display her art work. Dolezal's family drove three hours from Troy, Montana to display African-American-themed art she created, including collages and mixed-media works.[33]
Following the completion of high school, Dolezal attended Belhaven UniversityinJackson, Mississippi, receiving her bachelor's degree in 2000. After Belhaven, she attended a historically black college, Howard University, in Washington, D.C. and completed a Master of Fine Arts degree there in 2002.[10][34][35] Her parents and brother said that upon applying to Howard, Dolezal was assumed to be black by the admissions office and subsequently received a scholarship from the university. Her younger brother, Ezra Dolezal, stated that "because of her work in African American art, they thought she was a Black student during her application, but they ended up with a White person."[36] Her father said, "eyes were popping and jaws were dropping because they couldn't believe they had given a full scholarship to a white girl", although he stressed that "she didn't pose as black; she just sounded black on the phone".[37] Her thesis at Howard was a series of paintings presented from the perspective of a black man, and sparked a controversy. Dean Tritobia Benjamin, a specialist on black women in the arts, questioned whether Dolezal was qualified as a white woman to tell this type of story.[35] Dolezal said she was drugged and sexually assaulted by a "trusted mentor" when attending Howard University, and that "suing was nearly impossible".[38]
Before it was removed from the school's website, Dolezal's Eastern Washington University profile stated she has begun pre-medical studies to "engage in life-saving surgery efforts around the world".[39][40][41]
In 2005, Dolezal created a fountain sculpture installed in a downtown Spokane location in June 2005. The sculpture was on display until the end of that summer when it was auctioned off to benefit the Human Rights Education Institute.[42] She described the fountain, "Triumph of the Human Spirit," which included figures around the base of a column topped by a globe, as showing that, "the thrust of the human spirit is upward, while the water is falling downward. As the figures move toward the top, they are celebrating."[42] Dolezal's work was supported by a $6,000 stipend raised from a number of local businesses, part of the "Fountains of Wishes" project which went on to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for various charities.[43]
In April 2007, while working as an art teacher at School Indigo in Coeur d'Alene, Dolezal collaborated with children to make five works for the Rights of the Child exhibit, by the Human Rights Education Institute, which included a total of 35 works by students.[44] The exhibit illustrated the 10 points of the 1959 United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child.[44] A painting of 117 children's colored handprints represented the number of children who die from abuse per month in the U.S., said Dolezal, with three uncolored handprints for the number who will die by the end of the day.[44] Dolezal said, "The biggest thing to me is changing the adult perspective. It’s not the children who are causing maltreatment."[44]
In October 2007, Dolezal set up an exhibit on domestic violence, which she said was, "not always 'a man beats a woman so you have domestic violence.' It's not necessarily all just black and white."[45] The works were explicitly violent enough that Dolezal cautioned that it might not be appropriate for small children. It represented two local residents killed by domestic violence in recent years, as well as children victimized by abuse, and it included signs with statistics about domestic violence.[45] Speaking of her own experience, Dolezal said she would have left a prior abusive relationship sooner if she had been better able recognize it for what it was, because, "I had no idea what to look for. It may seem like a small step just to raise awareness, but I think it's possibly one of the most significant steps forward: Break the silence."[45]
Dolezal has used art to educate children on civil rights issues.[40][46][47]
In June 2015, Priscilla Frank at The Huffington Post and Sarah Cascone at artnet made accusations of plagiarism against Dolezal over the painting "The Shape of Our Kind," for being a nearly identical copy of J.M.W. Turner's 1840 work The Slave Ship.[48][49] Frank accused Dolezal of "cultural appropriation and deceit" and "some plagiarism" for not crediting Turner.[48] Cascone obliquely accused Dolezal of plagiarism because, while she acknowledged it is a common and widely accepted practice for painters to copy well-known works,[50][51] Cascone said Dolezal should have mentioned Turner when offering the painting for sale on the artpal.com website.[49] Outside of academic and legal contexts, copying in the arts has been the subject of considerable debate since the concept of plagiarism first appeared in the 18th century.
Dolezal was elected president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP in 2014, replacing James Wilburn. She was noted during her brief tenure for revitalizing the chapter.[52] Her resignation from the civil rights organization was announced on June 15, 2015 after her parents, family members, and numerous media reports over several days had exposed her stated biography and ethnicity to be false.[6][53] Upon resignation, Dolezal said: "It is with complete allegiance to the cause of racial and social justice and the NAACP that I step aside from the presidency and pass the baton to my Vice President, Naima Quarles-Burnley" saying this is "in the best interest of the NAACP".[54]
Dolezal applied for the position of chair of the Office of the Police Ombudsman Commission in Spokane in May 2014, and was subsequently appointed by mayor David Condon. In her application, she identified herself as having several ethnicities, including black.[17][21][55] In June 2015, City Council President Ben Stuckart said the city had opened an investigation of the truthfulness of her application.[55]
On June 17, 2015 an investigation into her behavior as chair of the commission concluded that she had acted improperly, violated government rules and abused her authority, and the report said the evidence and interviews confirmed workplace harassment allegations and "a pattern of misconduct" by Dolezal.[19] Dolezal was asked to resign by mayor David Condon and city council president Ben Stuckart due to "intimidating and harassing" behavior.[19][56] On June 18, 2015 the Spokane City Council voted unanimously to remove Dolezal from her position as chair of the Police Ombudsman Commission. The city council accepted the resignation of one other member and granted another member a continuance.[18][57]
She was the education director of the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho until 2010 when she resigned after being passed over for promotion to the institute's top job.[20] From 2005 to 2013, she was an instructor at North Idaho College, a community collegeinCoeur d'Alene, Idaho. Eastern Washington University released a statement which said that "since 2010, Rachel Dolezal has been hired at Eastern Washington University on a quarter by quarter basis as an instructor in the Africana Education program. This is a part-time position to address program needs. Dolezal is not a professor."[58] She taught "The Black Woman's Struggle", "African and African American Art History", "African History", "African American Culture", and "Intro to Africana Studies".[59] A statement by university officials on June 15, 2015, said Dolezal is "no longer an employee of Eastern Washington University".[60][61] Dolezal herself describes her teaching as "race and culture classes", "black studies" and "black feminism".[62]
Dolezal was a frequent contributor to The Inlander, a newspaper in Spokane.[63] On June 15, 2015 The Inlander said she is no longer a freelance writer for the newspaper and that the paper had been "manipulated and deceived" by her.[60][61]
In April 2016, Rachel announced on the Today Show that she was writing a book on racial identity.[64]
In 2002, Dolezal unsuccessfully sued Howard University for discrimination based on "race, pregnancy, family responsibilities and gender, as well as retaliation". Her lawsuit alleged that she was denied scholarship funds, a teaching assistant position and other opportunities, because she is a white woman.[65][66] She also alleged that the removal of her artwork from a student exhibition at Howard in 2001 "was motivated by a discriminatory purpose to favor African-American students" over her.[65] Her lawsuit claimed that Howard was "permeated with discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, and insult".[66] During the proceedings, the university's lawyers asked Dolezal if she tried to mislead the university by posing as black in her admissions essay, where she had written about "the atrocities so many ancestors faced in America" in the context of black history.[67][68]
In July 2010, Dolezal resigned from Human Rights Education Institute in Kootenai County, and stated to KREM 2 News that "she had been the target of discrimination".[69] Dolezal stated on September 29, 2009, to KXLY that she had become a target of racism after she recently woke up to find a noose on her front porch.[70][71][72][73][74] Dolezal's biography on Eastern Washington University's website states that while living in Idaho "at least eight documented hate crimes targeted (Rachel) Dolezal and her children".[75]
Dolezal's mother said she was contacted by the media in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where Rachel lived for seven years. "Law enforcement is conducting an investigation of claims Rachel has made about hate crime threats and in that process of the investigation, the question of 'What is your true ethnicity?' came up, and we were contacted and agreed to speak to the press," Ruthanne said. "It is a sad situation, but the truth is best for everyone."[75] The subsequent police investigation did not support Dolezal's allegation.[76] Detectives said the envelope that contained the alleged threats had no postage stamps, barcodes or any other indication of having been handled by the postal service.[77] The postal inspector said "the only way this letter could have ended up in this P.O. box would be if it was placed there by someone with a key to that box or a USPS employee."[77]
Kurt Neumaier, a former member of the oversight board of the Human Rights Education Institute, concludes that in every incident Dolezal has alleged, "she was the sole witness to events that, when put under scrutiny, don't hold up".[78] English journalist Dominic Lawson has ranked Dolezal as "the most spectacular example of the growing phenomenon of people posing as victims", which he says is a "consequence of a culture which portrays victimhood as a form of moral superiority".[79]
Dolezal's self-identification as black became the subject of controversy in June 2015,[4][80] after Dolezal was asked by KXLY-TV reporter Jeff Humphrey about a photo on the Facebook page of the Spokane NAACP chapter of a black man identified as Dolezal's father. After being asked if the man was really Dolezal's father, she said he was but would not answer when asked if she was African American. She then walked out of the interview.[4][80]
Dolezal's parents later stated that their daughter had been trying to "disguise herself" as African-American.[9] They presented a copy of their daughter's Montana birth certificate,[81] and said that she is of German and Czech heritage,[17] with "faint traces" of Native American ancestry.[82][83] Her parents said Dolezal began to identify herself more with the African-American community around 2007.[26] An investigation by professional genealogist Elizabeth Banas found only white ancestors over the last four centuries, including ancestors of German, Dutch, Swedish and Czech origin.[84]
In subsequent interviews, Dolezal stated that "if, you know, I was asked, I would definitely say that yes I do consider myself to be black",[85] and that "I would definitely consider myself to be black".[86] Dolezal has listed herself as black on at least one application,[8] and has said she is of "African-American, Native American, German, Czech, Swedish, Jewish and Arabic" heritage.[87][88] In an article she wrote for The Inlander in March 2015, Dolezal includes herself when discussing black women through use of the "we" and "our" pronouns.[89]
Her uncle Dan Dolezal said that his niece first claimed that a black friend named Albert Wilkerson was her real father around 2012–13, saying that "it caused my brother quite a bit of pain".[90] Dolezal has in recent interviews referred to her father as her "stepfather,"[38] and said her "black father" had fled the Deep South "because a white cop was hunting him".[91] Dolezal's mother said she has never met Albert Wilkerson and that Rachel Dolezal does not have a stepfather.[10] In a 2015 interview, Dolezal said she was "punished by skin complexion" by her mother and "white stepfather", and compared this alleged punishment to the punishment suffered by black slaves.[10][38][92][93] Her brother Ezra Dolezal said the accusations of physical punishment were false.[94]
In a November 2, 2015 interview on The Real, Dolezal publicly acknowledged for the first time since the controversy began that she was born white. She said, "I acknowledge that I was biologically born white to white parents, but I identify as black".[13][14][15]
The revelations about Dolezal's ancestry and her other claims provoked a range of reactions. Angela Schwendiman, who is a colleague of Dolezal's at Eastern Washington University, expressed her belief that Dolezal perceived herself as black internally, and that "she was only trying to match how she felt on the inside with her outside."[95] Similarly Cedric Bradley, a colleague of hers at Spokane's NAACP, suggested it mattered little to him whether Dolezal was actually black or not. What did matter to him was her proven track record in social justice work. "It's not about black and white," Bradley stated, "it's about what we can do for the community."[96]
Psychologist Priscilla Dass-Brailsford stated: "Because of a familiarity with black culture, she [may] regard herself as 'transracial'".[97] Psychologist Halford Fairchild said "Rachel Dolezal is black because she identifies as black. Her identity was authentic, as far as I could tell."[98] Sociologist Ann Morning also defended Dolezal, saying: "We're getting more and more used to the idea that people's racial affiliation and identity and sense of belonging can change, or can vary, with different circumstances."[99] Washington Post journalist Krissah Thompson described her behavior as "white guilt played to its end." Thompson discussed the issue with psychologist Derald Wing Sue, an expert on racial identity, who suggested that Dolezal had become so fascinated by racism and racial justice issues that she "over-identified" with black people.[100]
Gender studies scholar Samantha Allen said, "Rachel Dolezal seems determined to appropriate not just blackness but the rhetoric of transgender identity as well" and called the analogy "spurious".[101] Washington Post journalist Jonathan Capehart suggested, "blackface remains highly racist, no matter how down with the cause a white person is."[102] Her adopted brother Ezra Dolezal also compared his sister's behavior to blackface and said "she's basically creating more racism".[4]
On June 16, 2015, Touré Neblett, a commentator for MSNBC, said on the TV program The Cycle: "When I did my book about blackness, I talked to a hundred folks, academics, all sorts of people and the one thing that binds black people is the experience of racism. There's not a cultural thing that binds all of us but the experience of racism. From systemic, stereotypical, microaggressions, whatever it is, and, no, she has not experienced anti-black racism and with the Howard suit, she sues Howard because she doesn't get a job because she's a white woman, you see that she wants to have it both ways."[103] Introducing the category of "cisracial" has been suggested e.g. by former MSNBC commentator Melissa Harris-Perry[104][105]
Leslie Bow, an expert on racial relations, criticized Dolezal for "taking the place of faculty of color by allowing her colleagues to assume that she's black".[106]
A petition calling for Dolezal to resign her position in the NAACP was launched by Kitara McClure, the former multicultural director at Spokane Community College and a member of the NAACP. McClure said "you cannot lead without honesty," and that "for the local and the national NAACP to say they stand behind her is appalling."[107]
The case made international news, e.g. German Süddeutsche Zeitung referred to Dolezal reverting a classical passing scheme, as in passing novel examples like The Human Stain and mentioned Norman Mailer's 1957 essay The White Negro and historical cases like Grey Owl.[108] The review of Allyson Hobbs A Chosen Exile: A History of Racial Passing in American Life tried to put the case in a wider and historical perspective on passing as well.[109]
Dolezal issued a statement on June 15, 2015, in which she said she believes that "challenging the construct of race is at the core of evolving human consciousness".[110] The following day Dolezal told Today Show host Matt Lauer she was first described as "transracial" and "biracial" in articles about her human rights work, and chose not to correct them.[111] In the same interview, she defended against allegations of having put on blackface by claiming the way she presented herself was "not some freak, Birth of a Nation, mockery blackface performance".[112] Dolezal later clarified that she has never claimed to be "transracial", a term associated mainly with transracial adoption.[113]
Dolezal is bisexual.[114] She married Kevin Moore, an African-American man, in 2000. Moore, a medical student at Howard University at the time of their marriage, was divorced from Dolezal in 2004. He has accused Dolezal of lying and "poisoning" his relationship with their son.[8][35][115][116] In 2010, with the consent of her parents, she obtained legal guardianship of her adopted brother, Izaiah Dolezal, who was sixteen years old at the time.[26][117] Her other adopted brother, Ezra Dolezal, accused Dolezal of having "brainwashed" Izaiah into "hating white people".[118][119]
She lists African dance, culinary arts, ethnic hair styling, and modeling among her other experiences.[120][121]
According to a February 2015 article in The Easterner, Dolezal said she had suffered from cervical cancer in 2006, but had recovered by 2008,[63] a claim which her brother said he had only heard about at the time of the interview.[122][123]
Dolezal told The Guardian in December 2015 that she was pregnant and expecting to deliver a son in June 2016, whom she has named Langston in honor of writer Langston Hughes.[124]
The name of the piece Dolezal presented (under her married name Rachel Moore) was 'Hypocrisy: A Form of Godliness.'
... Rachel Dolezal, a leader of the Human Rights Education Institute ...
Rachel and her older brother, Joshua, are the only white children in the...
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A local human rights advocate says she's become a target of racism after she recently woke up to find a noose on her front porch.
Rachel has reportedly made several reports of harassment and other crimes to police in Idaho and Washington, including that she received a hate mail package at her NAACP post office box and a swastika was placed on the door of the Human Rights Education Institute, where she previously worked, the newspaper reported.
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Civil rights leader Rachel Dolezal responds to claims she has misrepresented herself as African-American: "Yes, I do consider myself to be black."
Black women stand at the intersection of both oppressions, and when our lives are measured, the weight of our legacy will attest that we are of equal value to black men, white men, white women and every other person on the planet.
Blackface remains highly racist, no matter how down with the cause a white person is.
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According to EWU, Dolezal's experiences include working with African dance, culinary arts, ethnic hair styling, modeling, managing a political campaign, and has 14 years of experience as an exhibiting artist.
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