Rachel Dolezal faced scrutiny over racial identity years ago

[webfact]

Rachel Dolezal faced scrutiny over racial identity years ago
By MATTHEW BARAKAT and NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Rachel Dolezal, who is under scrutiny for recent comments about race, her background and her behavior as a civil rights leader, faced tough questions about her racial identity long before she became a national figure nearly overnight.

More than a decade ago, Howard University's lawyers questioned whether she had tried to pose as African-American when she applied for admission to the historically black university in the nation's capital.

Dolezal had accused the school of denying her a teaching position because she was white. During a deposition, Howard's lawyers asked whether she had tried to mislead the admissions office with an essay focused on black history and identity, according to court documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

"I plunged into black history and novels, feeling the relieving release of understanding and common ground," she wrote in the essay. "My struggles paled as I read of the atrocities so many ancestors faced in America."

The 37-year-old Dolezal resigned as head of the NAACP's Spokane chapter this week after her parents said she was a white woman pretending to be black. City leaders asked her Wednesday to step down from a police oversight panel, citing misconduct.

An independent investigation by the city of Spokane concluded Wednesday that Dolezal acted improperly and violated government rules while leading its volunteer police oversight commission.

The report says Dolezal violated the city's workplace harassment policy when she "engaged in conduct that humiliated, insulted or degraded" a city worker; abused her authority; and showed bias against police.

Spokane Mayor David Condon and City Council President Ben Stuckart said Dolezal and two others should remove themselves from the five-member commission.

Dolezal said in a statement she would not resign, adding that she and the two others had done nothing wrong, Spokane news station KHQ-TV reported. She said they had "done our best each step of the way and double-checked our actions with legal counsel."

"The work is tough, and certainly there is a degree of expected push-back from the institution, but the level of harassment and sabotage by city government is completely undeserved and inappropriate," her statement said.

Meanwhile, the city's Ethics Commission is investigating whether she lied about her race on her application to the police board by presenting herself as the daughter of a black police officer from Oakland, California, when she sought the appointment last year.

A dozen years earlier, Dolezal's lawsuit against Howard was dismissed before reaching trial. A court said she failed to prove her claims and ordered her to pay the university's legal costs.

In her admissions essay, she described her family as "transracial," writing that "at the early age of three I showed an awareness of the richness and beauty of dark skin when I said, 'Mama, all people are beautiful but black people are so beautiful.'"

During the deposition, Dolezal said she was "talking about black history in novels."

Lawyers pressed her to say if she had ever misled anyone into thinking she was black.

"I don't know that I could lead anyone to believe that I'm African-American. I believe that, you know, in certain context, maybe someone would assume that, but I don't know that I could convince someone that I'm a hundred percent African-American," she responded.

Asked to explain what she considers her own race to be, she said, "if you have to choose to describe yourself and you're able to give terms like a fraction or whatever but an overall picture, I consider myself to be Caucasian biologically."

Asked by NBC's Matt Lauer this week if she is an "an African-American woman," Dolezal said, "I identify as black."

Civil rights leaders in Spokane openly worry about the damage all this has done.

"I think it is a setback," said Virla Spencer, 36, who is black. "It's sad we have to focus so much on this when there is so much more work to do."

Spokane, a city of 210,000, is 90 percent white, and about 2 percent black. The Aryan Nations, a neo-Nazi organization, was for decades based nearby, north of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Dolezal, who lives in Coeur d'Alene, told an NBC interviewer that there's no "biological proof" that Larry and Ruthanne Dolezal are her parents, despite the fact that there's a birth certificate that lists them as her mother and father.

Dolezal, who appears fair and with straight blond hair in childhood photos, now presents a light brown complexion. She said on NBC that her dark curly hair is "a weave."

She told the "Today" show that she started identifying as black around age 5 and that she "takes exception" to the contention she tried to deceive people.
___

Associated Press writers Kiley Armstrong in New York and Phuong Le in Seattle contributed to this report. Barakat reported from Washington, D.C.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-06-19

[sdanielmcev]

I hope this lady gets a lot of mental help.

[Pimay1]

I hope this lady gets a lot of mental help.

Agree. She is definitely a nut case.

[tominbkk]

These are the big issues in America that need headlines? Must be paradise there!!!

[canuckamuck]

If a black person posed as white to get a job, no one would care.

[Praematura]

This whole nonsense is ridiculous. How is this even news... I want the 3 min back it took to read this

[timmyp]

If a black person posed as white to get a job, no one would care.

If a black woman got a job for a schoolarship fund to help children of Asian refugees while claiming to be the daughter of an Asian refugee herself, sure it would be news if it was discovered that she's not Asian at all. If a black man got a job as the director of an Irish-American summer camp claiming to be Irish, it would hit the news if they found out that he's not Irish. I agree that it wouldn't be as big as this story, but it would be in the news.

But we can argue that's just about misrepresenting yourself.

This story is interesting because it raises questions about how society defines race. That is, a black person can't really pass as white unless they look 100% white. This isn't news to you, I'm sure. But because society thinks that any tiny bit of black anscestory makes you black, this woman can pass as black, even though she looks white.

In contrast to the examples above, if the black woman trying to pass as Asian with 0% Asian roots, or if the black man trying to pass as Irish with 0% Irish roots were in the positions of the examples I gave, they would be questioned constantly. "But that person is black? Is he/she really Asian/Irish?"

I agree with many of the people posting here and elsehwere that I don't find what this woman did to be all that interesting itself, but I certainly find people's reaction to this interesting (including those who don't really care about it). It shows society's attitude about being black, and about how race is defined.

Many people don't like it when a white person adopts any characteristics associated with any level of black culture in the U.S.: accent, dress, etc. I think people's hostility towards her also has to do with that. It's interesting to see people's reaction in that way.

[winstonc]

If a black person posed as white to get a job, no one would care.

If a black woman got a job for a schoolarship fund to help children of Asian refugees while claiming to be the daughter of an Asian refugee herself, sure it would be news if it was discovered that she's not Asian at all. If a black man got a job as the director of an Irish-American summer camp claiming to be Irish, it would hit the news if they found out that he's not Irish. I agree that it wouldn't be as big as this story, but it would be in the news.

But we can argue that's just about misrepresenting yourself.

This story is interesting because it raises questions about how society defines race. That is, a black person can't really pass as white unless they look 100% white. This isn't news to you, I'm sure. But because society thinks that any tiny bit of black anscestory makes you black, this woman can pass as black, even though she looks white.

In contrast to the examples above, if the black woman trying to pass as Asian with 0% Asian roots, or if the black man trying to pass as Irish with 0% Irish roots were in the positions of the examples I gave, they would be questioned constantly. "But that person is black? Is he/she really Asian/Irish?"

I agree with many of the people posting here and elsehwere that I don't find what this woman did to be all that interesting itself, but I certainly find people's reaction to this interesting (including those who don't really care about it). It shows society's attitude about being black, and about how race is defined.

Many people don't like it when a white person adopts any characteristics associated with any level of black culture in the U.S.: accent, dress, etc. I think people's hostility towards her also has to do with that. It's interesting to see people's reaction in that way.

no its only news because she,s been outed as a proven liar...shes white end of..utterly stupid lady..

[timmyp]

no its only news because she,s been outed as a proven liar...shes white end of..utterly stupid lady..

I gotta disagree with you winstonc. It's been made news because of the racial element. People in other positions that lied about their background don't recieve such attention.

If you're saying that "it's only newsworthy in that she's been been outed as a proven liar," then I can't disagree with you there, but what winstonc finds newsworthy doesn't define what becomes news.

[Pimay1]

If a black person posed as white to get a job, no one would care.

If a black woman got a job for a schoolarship fund to help children of Asian refugees while claiming to be the daughter of an Asian refugee herself, sure it would be news if it was discovered that she's not Asian at all. If a black man got a job as the director of an Irish-American summer camp claiming to be Irish, it would hit the news if they found out that he's not Irish. I agree that it wouldn't be as big as this story, but it would be in the news.

But we can argue that's just about misrepresenting yourself.

This story is interesting because it raises questions about how society defines race. That is, a black person can't really pass as white unless they look 100% white. This isn't news to you, I'm sure. But because society thinks that any tiny bit of black anscestory makes you black, this woman can pass as black, even though she looks white.

In contrast to the examples above, if the black woman trying to pass as Asian with 0% Asian roots, or if the black man trying to pass as Irish with 0% Irish roots were in the positions of the examples I gave, they would be questioned constantly. "But that person is black? Is he/she really Asian/Irish?"

I agree with many of the people posting here and elsehwere that I don't find what this woman did to be all that interesting itself, but I certainly find people's reaction to this interesting (including those who don't really care about it). It shows society's attitude about being black, and about how race is defined.

Many people don't like it when a white person adopts any characteristics associated with any level of black culture in the U.S.: accent, dress, etc. I think people's hostility towards her also has to do with that. It's interesting to see people's reaction in that way.

Your post is an interesting read but no cigar. Not even close. The issue with this person is not about perception, or society's attitude about being black, yellow, red, white or any other skin color. It is about her deceit, her incessant lying, for instance born in a tepee, her filing law suits under false pretense claiming racial discrimination to name just a few and when caught in her deceit, her lies continue. The woman undeniably has a psychiatric disorder and needs professional help.

[Soutpeel]

If a black person posed as white to get a job, no one would care.

If a black woman got a job for a schoolarship fund to help children of Asian refugees while claiming to be the daughter of an Asian refugee herself, sure it would be news if it was discovered that she's not Asian at all. If a black man got a job as the director of an Irish-American summer camp claiming to be Irish, it would hit the news if they found out that he's not Irish. I agree that it wouldn't be as big as this story, but it would be in the news.

But we can argue that's just about misrepresenting yourself.

This story is interesting because it raises questions about how society defines race. That is, a black person can't really pass as white unless they look 100% white. This isn't news to you, I'm sure. But because society thinks that any tiny bit of black anscestory makes you black, this woman can pass as black, even though she looks white.

In contrast to the examples above, if the black woman trying to pass as Asian with 0% Asian roots, or if the black man trying to pass as Irish with 0% Irish roots were in the positions of the examples I gave, they would be questioned constantly. "But that person is black? Is he/she really Asian/Irish?"

I agree with many of the people posting here and elsehwere that I don't find what this woman did to be all that interesting itself, but I certainly find people's reaction to this interesting (including those who don't really care about it). It shows society's attitude about being black, and about how race is defined.

Many people don't like it when a white person adopts any characteristics associated with any level of black culture in the U.S.: accent, dress, etc. I think people's hostility towards her also has to do with that. It's interesting to see people's reaction in that way.

Your post is an interesting read but no cigar. Not even close. The issue with this person is not about perception, or society's attitude about being black, yellow, red, white or any other skin color. It is about her deceit, her incessant lying, for instance born in a tepee, her filing law suits under false pretense claiming racial discrimination to name just a few and when caught in her deceit, her lies continue. The woman undeniably has a psychiatric disorder and needs professional help.

In some circles she would simply be know as a "Walt" plenty in Thailand ...

[timmyp]

Your post is an interesting read but no cigar. Not even close. The issue with this person is not about perception, or society's attitude about being black, yellow, red, white or any other skin color. It is about her deceit, her incessant lying, for instance born in a tepee, her filing law suits under false pretense claiming racial discrimination to name just a few and when caught in her deceit, her lies continue. The woman undeniably has a psychiatric disorder and needs professional help.

Pimay1, you're talking about why the story is newsworthy (or not newsworthy)

I'm talking about why it has been made into news. Not the same thing.

I find it interesting why people think it's newsworthy.

If everyone saw it only as somebody who was being deceitful, then it wouldn't be getting all the coverage it is.

Yeah, of course this woman is a complete nutbag, I don't think anyone is disputing that.

Edited June 19, 2015 by timmyp

[Pimay1]

Your post is an interesting read but no cigar. Not even close. The issue with this person is not about perception, or society's attitude about being black, yellow, red, white or any other skin color. It is about her deceit, her incessant lying, for instance born in a tepee, her filing law suits under false pretense claiming racial discrimination to name just a few and when caught in her deceit, her lies continue. The woman undeniably has a psychiatric disorder and needs professional help.

Pimay1, you're talking about why the story is newsworthy (or not newsworthy)

I'm talking about why it has been made into news. Not the same thing.

I find it interesting why people think it's newsworthy.

If everyone saw it only as somebody who was being deceitful, then it wouldn't be getting all the coverage it is.

Yeah, of course this woman is a complete nutbag, I don't think anyone is disputing that.

Ok I understand your point now. I think the reason people think it is newsworthy is the extent she carried out the ruse even to suing a university under false pretense plus everything she did was taken to the extreme. Also I think her position as a leader of an organization had a lot to do with the newsworthy angle. You are correct there are many deceitful people who do not make the news and rightly so.

[RickBradford]

There's a striking commonality between Dolezal, Brian Williams, and Hillary Clinton.

All have a desperate need to appear more noble and heroic than they are; all are prepared to create make-believe worlds to feed their narcissism; and none of them gives a sh*t about objective truth. Their "feelings" outweigh all other considerations.

Oh, and all of them wormed their way into positions of trusted responsibility by people who gave them the benefit of the doubt.