Rachel Dolezal No Longer Speaking Monday, NAACP Meeting Canceled
Spokane, Washington, NAACP chapter President Rachel Dolezal reportedly will not speak about the fervor surrounding her racial identity Monday. A meeting of the Spokane NAACP chapter scheduled for Monday, at which Dolezal said she would address the situation, was postponed, the chapter's Facebook page said.
The meeting was canceled, "due to the need to continue discussion with regional and national NAACP leaders," the post read. KREM-TV, Spokane, reported an image of an email from Dolezal postponing the meeting.
Previously it was reported some members of the group were planning to protest outside the meeting.
Dolezal has light-brown skin and dark, curly hair, but her parents -- both of whom are white -- released pictures of her as a child with blonde hair and light skin. Dolezal said she identified as black in a previous interview with KREM. "Yes, I do consider myself to be black and that’s because … you know, that’s how I identify," she said. “I actually don’t like the term ‘African-American.’ I prefer the term ‘black.’ ”
The situation has earned media attention and a fair amount of backlash. The 37-year-old also serves as chair of Spokane's Office of Police Ombudsman Commission and is an adjunct faculty member at Eastern Washington University where she teaches African studies. Her parents have said she is misrepresenting herself as African-American. "It is very disturbing that she has become so dishonest," said Dolezal's mother, Ruthanne Dolezal, according to the Coeur d’Alene (Idaho) Press.
Dolezal has provided vague answers to direct questions about her race, including in an interview with the the Spokesman Review in which she said: "That question is not as easy as it seems. ... There’s a lot of complexities … and I don’t know that everyone would understand that.” The NAACP released a statement Friday supporting Dolezal.
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