The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on Friday said that the organization would respect the privacy of the Spokane NAACP chapter president, who has reportedly been pretending to be black.
“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,” the statement reads.
Rachel Dolezal has said numerous times that she is of African-American descent, according to multiple news reports published on Thursday. However, her parents said that Dolezal is white. They described themselves as white and showed Dolezal’s birth certificate to the Coeur D’Alene Press, indicating that they are her parents. They also showed The Press a picture of Dolezal when she was younger, with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Read the NAACP’s full statement below:
Baltimore, MD – 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.
