Friday, June 12, 2015

NAACP chapter president outed as white by parents: 'Not true' she's black

File under "strange but true ..."

The parents of a Spokane, Washington, NAACP chapter president came forward on local television to tell the community and now nation: Our daughter, who says she's black, is actually white.

The interview's played out since in national media.

Ruthanne and Larry Dolezal said to 11ALive's Spokane, Washington, sister station, KREM 2 News, to specify their daughter, Rachel Dolezal, is of German and Czech ancestry.

Rachel Dolezal, now and then.
In a tweet, KREM's Taylor Viydo wrote: "Dolezal's parents, who live in Troy, MT, say Rachel has been deceiving people. They want people to know the truth."

In another tweet promoting the interview, Viydo wrote: "'Our daughter is Caucasian,' say parents of Spokane NAACP President Rachel Dolezal."

The truth, they say, is this: Their daughter Rachel was born in Troy and raised with adopted black siblings. KREM reported they also said she always identified as black, even as she went on to school in Mississippi.

Her parents also said she married and divorced a black man, and it was after the separation that she ratcheted up her affiliation with the black community a bit. For instance, they said she began claiming to be part black, and even changed her appearance to present the image of being born to bi-racial parents, KREM reported.

"Rachel has wanted to be somebody she's not," Ruthanne Dolezal said, KREM reported. "She's chosen not to just be herself but to represent herself as an African American woman or a biracial person. And that's simply not true."

Her parents said they don't mind her advocacy for the NAACP, but find her deception appalling.

Rachel, meanwhile, told KREM she hasn't spoken to her parents for some time.

"There is a lawsuit that's been going on for almost a year," she said, "once I supported by sister and allegations against her older brother."

She also said she doesn't consider Ruthanne and Larry – her biological parents – to be her real parents.

The ancestral history matter came to light after police began investigating a package mailed to the Spokane NAACP's P.O. box in March that Rachel claimed contained pictures of lynchings and references to local race-tied cases – the ninth such racially charged package or letter she's reportedly received in a decade, KREM reported.

Further investigation raised questions about the validity of the mailing and police are still trying to identify the responsible party. In May, Rachel reported receiving another racially-tinged letter, KREM reported.



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