--- description: The parents of a prominent civil rights activist from Spokane, Wash., have told media she has falsely been passing herself off as black title: NAACP Activist Acccused of Faking Black Ethnicity by Her Mom image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f9a7c2f3d9cd829/6988543555a8594b5aa8c791/naacp-president_fitz.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Race](/tag/race/) ## Race Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Prominent NAACP Activist Has Been Faking Black Ethnicity, Her Parents Say by [Helen Regan](/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 6:57 AM CUTPublished: Jun 12, 2015 6:45 AM CUT  Rachel Dolezal before the start of a Black Lives Matter Teach-In on Public Safety and Criminal Justice at EWU in Cheney, Wash., on Jan. 16, 2015 Rachel Dolezal before the start of a Black Lives Matter Teach-In on Public Safety and Criminal Justice at EWU in Cheney, Wash., on Jan. 16, 2015Tyler Tjomsland—AP by [Helen Regan](/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 6:57 AM CUTPublished: Jun 12, 2015 6:45 AM CUT The parents of a prominent civil rights activist from Spokane, Wash., say she has [falsely](http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jun/11/board-member-had-longstanding-doubts-about-truthfu/ "undefined") been passing herself off as being of partially black ethnicity. Rachel Dolezal, 37, is president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, serves as chair on the city’s Office of Police Ombudsman Commission, and is a part-time professor at Eastern Washington University where she teaches Africana Studies, [according](http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/spokane-naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-falsely-portrays-herself-black-family-says "undefined") to MSNBC. On her application for the Ombudsman Commission, Dolezal identified herself as white, black and Native American, according to an Associated Press [report](http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/11/rachel-dolezal-spokane-naacp-leader-falsely-portra/ "undefined") in the _Washington Times_. But speaking to a local paper, the _Couer d’Alene Press_, on Thursday, Dolezal’s mother Ruthanne [said](http://www.cdapress.com/news/local%5Fnews/article%5F385adfeb-76f3-5050-98b4-d4bf021c423f.html "undefined") the family’s ancestry was Czech, Swedish, German with “faint traces” of Native American. “It is very disturbing that she has become so dishonest,” she said of her daughter. Local officials have reportedly opened an inquiry to determine if any policies have been violated. The _Spokesman-Review,_ another local paper, said Dolezal would not answer questions about her race and ethnicity Thursday, but instead told the paper, “We’re all from the African continent.” The NAACP has [responded](http://www.naacp.org/press/entry/naacp-statement-on-rachel-dolezal "undefined") with a statement saying that Dolezal “is enduring a legal issue with her family, and we respect her privacy in this matter.” The statement continued, “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.” ### Martin Luther King Jr. and the Freedom Riders: Rare and Classic Photos  Julia Aaron and David Dennis, along with 25 other freedom riders and several members of the National Guard, travel from Montgomery, Ala., to Jackson, Miss. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Just shy of the Mississippi-Alabama border, members of the Alabama National Guard surround a bus carrying freedom riders. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A freedom rider and member of the National Guard on a bus in the Deep South. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  The view from a bus window on a freedom ride. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Freedom riders peer from bus windows during a stop. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A congregation in Alabama prays for the safety of freedom riders. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Freedom riders sing at the Rev. Ralph Abernathy's First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., as a white mob gathers outside. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A weary Martin Luther King Jr. sits at the Rev. Ralph Abernathy's First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., as a white mob surrounds the building. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Freedom riders try to rest at the Rev. Ralph Abernathy's First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., as a white mob gathers outside. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  After U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy intervened, forcing Alabama Governor John Patterson to declare martial law and send in the National Guard, the white mob outside First Baptist Church finally broke up. Before dawn on May 22, 1961, the Guard moved the congregation out. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Freedom riders rescued from First Baptist Church relax at a safe house in Montgomery, Ala. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Freedom riders rescued from First Baptist Church (including future U.S. Rep. John Lewis, with bandaged head) relax at a safe house in Montgomery, Ala. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Freedom riders, along with Martin Luther King Jr., relax at a safe house in Montgomery, Ala. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  At a safe house in Montgomery, Ala., freedom riders relax after being rescued from First Baptist Church. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  At a safe house in Montgomery, Ala., freedom riders pray after being rescued from First Baptist Church. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Freedom riders wait to board a bus to Jackson, Miss. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (C, L) with Freedom Riders boarding bus for Jackson, MS.. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Freedom riders and members of the National Guard on a bus in the Deep South. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Freedom riders on a bus in the Deep South. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Freedom riders on a bus in the Deep South. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  White segregationists hurl stones at a bus carrying freedom riders in Mississippi. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A young freedom rider on a bus in the Deep South. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3918660/rachel-dolezal-civil-rights-activist-spokane-naacp/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3918660/rachel-dolezal-civil-rights-activist-spokane-naacp/"},"headline":"A Prominent NAACP Activist Has Been Faking Black Ethnicity, Her Parents Say","datePublished":"2015-06-12T06:45:43.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T06:57:23.000Z","description":"Rachel Dolezal's mother said her ancestry is Czech, Swedish, German with “faint traces” of Native American","url":"https://time.com/3918660/rachel-dolezal-civil-rights-activist-spokane-naacp/","keywords":["Race","Washington","harassment","Mother","NAACP","Rachel Dolezal"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f9a7c2f3d9cd829/6988543555a8594b5aa8c791/naacp-president_fitz.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Helen Regan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/helen-regan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f9a7c2f3d9cd829/6988543555a8594b5aa8c791/naacp-president_fitz.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"NAACP PRESIDENT","caption":"NAACP PRESIDENT","creditText":"Tyler Tjomsland—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/race/","name":"Race"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3918660/rachel-dolezal-civil-rights-activist-spokane-naacp/","name":"A Prominent NAACP Activist Has Been Faking Black Ethnicity, Her Parents Say"}}]}] ```