Spokane NCAACP Leader Resigns Monday Over “Faking Race” Issue
Facing a firestorm of controversy over disputes about her racial backround, the embattled leader of the Spokane chapter of the NCAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) has resigned.
The story has grabbed headlines all over the nation. Rachael Dolezal issued a statement on Facebook that read in part:
It is a true honor to serve in the racial and social justice movement here in Spokane and across the nation. Many issues face us now that drive at the theme of urgency. Police brutality, biased curriculum in schools, economic disenfranchisement, health inequities, and a lack of pro-justice political representation are among the concerns at the forefront of the current administration of the Spokane NAACP. And yet, the dialogue has unexpectedly shifted internationally to my personal identity in the context of defining race and ethnicity.
I have waited in deference while others expressed their feelings, beliefs, confusions and even conclusions - absent the full story. I am consistently committed to empowering marginalized voices and believe that many individuals have been heard in the last hours and days that would not otherwise have had a platform to weigh in on this important discussion. Additionally, I have always deferred to the state and national NAACP leadership and offer my sincere gratitude for their unwavering support of my leadership through this unexpected firestorm.
Dolezal recently came under fire after her parents said her actually grew up as a "white person." The situation has grown more complex and there are a lot of factors, such as her claims she grew up in a teepee in Montana. There are a lot of suspicious questions about her backround, according to Breitbart.com, which is worth a look at.
But what has inflamed the country are pictures of her circulated by her parents, showing her as a very "European-looking" white blonde child who has nothing in common with the woman she is today.
Under pressure for faking her ethnicity, she resigned Monday. Already critics are saying her resignation letter tap dances around the issues with her racial identity.