Rachel Dolezal

Dolezal was born in Lincoln County, Montana, on November 12, 1977,{{cite news |url=http://www.cdapress.com/news/local_news/article_385adfeb-76f3-5050-98b4-d4bf021c423f.html |title=Black like me? |first1=Maureen |last1=Dolan |first2=Jeff |last2=Selle |location=Coeur d'Alene, Idaho |publisher=Coeur d'Alene Press |date=June 11, 2015 |access-date=June 15, 2015 |archive-date=January 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113075444/http://www.cdapress.com/news/local_news/article_385adfeb-76f3-5050-98b4-d4bf021c423f.html }}{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/16/us/rachel-dolezal/ | title=Who is Rachel Dolezal? | work=CNN | date=June 16, 2015 | access-date=August 12, 2015 | author=Ford, Dana | archive-date=August 22, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822011000/http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/16/us/rachel-dolezal/ | url-status=live }} to Ruthanne (née Schertel) and Lawrence "Larry" Dolezal, who are white and primarily of German, Czech, and Swedish origin; she was born as a blue-eyed blonde with straight hair.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/12/civil-rights-activist-rachel-dolezal-misrepresented-herself-as-black-claim-parents | title=Civil rights activist Rachel Dolezal misrepresented herself as black, claim parents | work=The Guardian | date=June 12, 2015 | access-date=June 12, 2015 | last=Elgot | first=Jessica | archive-date=May 23, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523205330/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/12/civil-rights-activist-rachel-dolezal-misrepresented-herself-as-black-claim-parents | url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/parents-naacp-chapter-president-rachel-dolezal-say-she-not-black-n374301 | title=Parents of NAACP Chapter President Rachel Dolezal Say She Is Not Black | publisher=NBC News | date=June 12, 2015 | access-date=June 15, 2015 | first=Elizabeth | last=Chuck | archive-date=December 28, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228183418/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/parents-naacp-chapter-president-rachel-dolezal-say-she-not-black-n374301 | url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=June 12, 2015 |title=NAACP official's race questioned |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/12/us/gallery/naacp-rachel-dolezal-identity/index.html |access-date=June 14, 2015 |archive-date=August 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821134509/https://www.cnn.com/2015/06/12/us/gallery/naacp-rachel-dolezal-identity/index.html |url-status=live }} Ruthanne and Larry Dolezal were married in 1974. Rachel's surname is of Czech origin. Dolezal has an older biological brother, Joshua Dolezal, a professor of English at Central College in Iowa who authored a book about their upbringing in Montana.{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-lied-black-parents-article-1.2255743|title=NAACP leader of Washington state chapter lied about being black, parents say|last1=Blidner|first1=Rachelle|date=June 12, 2015|newspaper=Daily News|access-date=June 12, 2015|last2=Silverstein|first2=Jason|location=New York|quote=Rachel and her older brother, Joshua, are the only white children in the...|last3=McShane|first3=Larry|archive-date=March 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330012915/https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-lied-black-parents-article-1.2255743|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/rachel-dolezal-nbc-today-show.html|title=Rachel Dolezal, in Center of Storm, Is Defiant: 'I Identify as Black'|first1=Kirk|last1=Johnson|first2=Richard|last2=Pérez-Peña|first3=John|last3=Eligon|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 16, 2015|access-date=March 3, 2017|archive-date=April 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425195240/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/rachel-dolezal-nbc-today-show.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Even Tenure-Line Professors Are Quitting |author=Joshua Dolezal |work=The Chronicle of Higher Education |date=27 May 2022 |access-date=27 November 2022 |url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-big-quit |archive-date=November 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128041413/https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-big-quit |url-status=live }} When Dolezal was a teenager, her parents adopted three African-American children and one Haitian child.{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/12/us/washington-spokane-naacp-rachel-dolezal-identity/ |title=Race of Rachel Dolezal, Spokane NAACP head, questioned |first1=Ben |last1=Brumfield |first2=Greg |last2=Botelho |date=June 12, 2015 |publisher=CNN |access-date=June 12, 2015 |archive-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507020702/https://www.cnn.com/2015/06/12/us/washington-spokane-naacp-rachel-dolezal-identity |url-status=live }}

Dolezal has said she was born and lived in a tipi and that the family had hunted for their food with bow and arrow. She also said that lima beans were used as chess pieces when enjoying family game night.{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-lied-black-parents-article-1.2255743 |title=NAACP leader of Washington state chapter Rachel Dolezal leaned on adoptive kid brothers to help her lie about being black |last1=Blidner |first1=Rachelle |last2=Dillon |first2=Nancy |last3=McShane |first3=Larry |last4=Silverstein |first4=Jason |date=June 12, 2015 |website=Daily News |access-date=February 19, 2021 |archive-date=March 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330012915/https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-lied-black-parents-article-1.2255743 |url-status=live }} Her mother stated that she and Dolezal's father briefly lived in a tipi in 1974, three years before their daughter was born, and that Dolezal's claims were "totally false". From 2002 to 2006, her parents and siblings lived in South Africa as Christian missionaries. Dolezal said she lived in South Africa as a child, but her family disputes the claim.{{cite news |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/naacp-reacts-to-rachel-dolezals-curious-case/ |title=Spokane NAACP leader: 'I do consider myself to be black' |last=Cornwell |first=Paige |publisher=The Seattle Times |date=June 12, 2015 |access-date=June 12, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926125749/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/naacp-reacts-to-rachel-dolezals-curious-case/ |archive-date=September 26, 2020}}{{cite news| first =Benge| last =Nsenduluka| title ='Black' NAACP Leader Facing Ethics Probe After Being Outed as White by Saddened Missionary Parents| newspaper =Christian Post| date =June 12, 2015| url =http://www.christianpost.com/news/black-naacp-leader-facing-ethics-probe-after-being-outed-as-white-by-saddened-missionary-parents-140335/| access-date =June 12, 2015| archive-date =December 2, 2020| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20201202122037/https://www.christianpost.com/news/black-naacp-leader-facing-ethics-probe-after-being-outed-as-white-by-saddened-missionary-parents-140335/| url-status =live}}

Dolezal was raised in Troy in the Pentecostal faith. She has stated that her parents frequently abused her. In a 2017 interview, she said she was taught to believe that "everything that came naturally, instinctively was wrong"—a point that was "literally beaten into us". In a 2015 interview, Dolezal said she was "punished by skin complexion" by her mother and "white stepfather", and compared this alleged punishment to the punishment suffered by black slaves.{{cite web |url=http://easterneronline.com/35006/eagle-life/a-life-to-be-heard/ |title=A Life to be Heard |last=Moncy |first=Shawntelle |date=February 5, 2015 |access-date=February 19, 2021 |archive-date=December 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216015629/https://easterneronline.com/35006/eagle-life/a-life-to-be-heard/ }}{{cite web|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/spokane-naacp-leaders-parents-shes-not-being-rational/|title=Spokane NAACP leader's parents: 'She's not being rational'|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=June 14, 2015|date=June 11, 2015|archive-date=September 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907115249/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/spokane-naacp-leaders-parents-shes-not-being-rational/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/06/naacp-leader-accused-of-pretending-to-be-black.html|title=NAACP Leader Accused of Pretending to Be Black|work=Daily Intelligencer|date=June 12, 2015|access-date=June 14, 2015|archive-date=July 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724213637/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/06/naacp-leader-accused-of-pretending-to-be-black.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2015/06/17/rachel_dolezal_was_raised_by_strict_fundamentalists_the_revelation_sheds.html|title=Rachel Dolezal Was Raised by Christian Fundamentalists. No Wonder She Wanted a New Identity.|last=Marcotte|first=Amanda|publisher=Slate|date=2015-06-17|access-date=March 2, 2017|archive-date=October 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007135323/http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2015/06/17/rachel_dolezal_was_raised_by_strict_fundamentalists_the_revelation_sheds.html|url-status=live}}

Dolezal was homeschooled via the Christian Liberty Academy CLASS program, achieving a 4.0 grade point average (GPA). She was one of several co-valedictorians upon graduation in 1996. She won a $2,000 scholarship for college awarded by Tandy Leather for her entry in their 1996 Leather Art contest.{{Citation |last= Herguth |first=Robert C. |title= Hersey High School Seniors Head out with a Little Fork Fun |newspaper=Daily Herald (Arlington Heights) |publisher= Douglas K. Ray |location=Arlington Heights, Illinois |date=June 5, 1996 }} In 1998, she entered artworks at Spokane's annual Juneteenth celebration; she expressed African-American themes through collages and mixed-media works.{{Citation |last= Timmerman |first= Luke |title= Discovering Juneteenth Spokane Festival Helps Educate Kids About Important Milestone In American History |newspaper=The Spokesman-Review |publisher= William Stacey Cowles |location=Spokane, Washington |date=June 21, 1998 }}

Following the completion of high school, Dolezal attended Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi, receiving her bachelor's degree in 2000. She then attended Howard University, a historically black college in Washington, D.C.; she received a Master of Fine Arts, summa cum laude, from Howard in 2002.{{cite web|url=https://sojo.net/articles/why-i-thank-rachel-dolezal|title=Why I Thank Rachel Dolezal|last=Steele|first=Jazmine|date=2017-05-05|website=Sojourners|language=EN|access-date=2019-08-21|archive-date=July 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727131407/https://sojo.net/articles/why-i-thank-rachel-dolezal|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/06/12/rachel-dolezal-jackson-naacp-belhaven/71129550/|title=Woman accused of lying about race has Miss. ties|first=Kate|last=Royals|date=June 12, 2015|work=The Clarion-Ledger|access-date=June 12, 2015|archive-date=February 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220233324/https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/06/12/rachel-dolezal-jackson-naacp-belhaven/71129550/|url-status=live}}{{cite news| first =Hillary| last =Crosley Coker| title =When Rachel Dolezal Attended Howard University, She Was Still White| publisher =Jezebel| date =June 12, 2015| url =http://jezebel.com/when-rachel-dolezal-attended-howard-university-she-was-1710941472| access-date =June 12, 2015| archive-date =January 23, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210123053503/https://jezebel.com/when-rachel-dolezal-attended-howard-university-she-was-1710941472| url-status =live}} Her thesis at Howard was a series of paintings presented from the perspective of a black man. Dolezal later said that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by a "trusted mentor" when attending Howard University, and that "suing was nearly impossible".

In 2000, Dolezal married Kevin Moore, a black man. Moore, a medical student at Howard University at the time of their marriage, divorced Dolezal in 2004.{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/rachel-dolezal-accused-lying-son-article-1.2257590|work=New York Daily News|title=Rachel Dolezal's ex-husband accused her of 'poisoning' his relationship with 3-year-old son|date=June 14, 2015|first1=Larry|last1=McShane|first2=Nancy|last2=Dillon|access-date=June 14, 2015|archive-date=July 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710192501/https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/rachel-dolezal-accused-lying-son-article-1.2257590|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jun/12/naacp-presidents-claims-about-background-disputed/ |title=Spokane NAACP president Rachel Dolezal's claims about background disputed |newspaper=The Spokesman-Review |date=June 12, 2015 |access-date=June 12, 2015 |archive-date=May 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526144008/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jun/12/naacp-presidents-claims-about-background-disputed/ |url-status=live }} Dolezal and Moore have a son.{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/rachel-dolezals-brother-says-she-warned-dont-blow-my-cover|title=Rachel Dolezal's Brother Says She Warned: "Don't Blow My Cover"|website=BuzzFeed News|date=June 13, 2015|access-date=April 12, 2019|archive-date=April 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425201436/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/rachel-dolezals-brother-says-she-warned-dont-blow-my-cover|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/rachel-dolezal-claimed-forced-sex-tape-article-1.2261643|title=Rachel Dolezal claimed ex-husband forced her to make sex tape, abused her during bitter custody battle|first=Nancy Dillon, Ginger Adams|last=Otis|website=nydailynews.com|date=June 18, 2015|access-date=April 12, 2019|archive-date=November 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118122013/https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/rachel-dolezal-claimed-forced-sex-tape-article-1.2261643|url-status=live}}

In 2010, with the consent of her parents, Dolezal obtained legal guardianship of her 16-year-old brother, Izaiah Dolezal.{{cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/a-civil-rights-leader-has-disguised-herself-as-black-for-yea |first1=Claudia |last1=Koerner |first2=Jim II |last2=Dalrymple |title=A Civil Rights Leader Has Disguised Herself As Black For Years, Her Parents Say |publisher=BuzzFeed |access-date=February 8, 2018 |date=June 13, 2015 |archive-date=April 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404160537/https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/a-civil-rights-leader-has-disguised-herself-as-black-for-yea |url-status=live }} Izaiah sought to be emancipated after alleging that Larry and Ruthanne not only beat him and his siblings, but also threatened to send them to group homes if they did not obey their rules. Her brother, Ezra Dolezal, later denied Izaiah's accusations in an interview with CNN;{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/06/13/us/washington-rachel-dolezal-adopted-brother/index.html|title=Rachel Dolezal's biracial appearance is "blackface", brother says|author=Ray Sanchez and Ben Brumfield|website=CNN|date=June 14, 2015|access-date=May 2, 2019|archive-date=February 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211033103/https://www.cnn.com/2015/06/13/us/washington-rachel-dolezal-adopted-brother/index.html|url-status=live}} however, in an interview with BuzzFeed, he acknowledged that his parents were strict and sometimes used corporal punishment.

Dolezal gave birth to another son in February 2016.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/parents/rachel-dolezal-welcomes-son-langston-attickus/|title=Rachel Dolezal Welcomes Son Langston Attickus, Named After Two African-American Historical Figures|website=PEOPLE.com|access-date=April 12, 2019|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108111810/https://people.com/parents/rachel-dolezal-welcomes-son-langston-attickus/|url-status=live}}

In 2002, Dolezal unsuccessfully sued Howard University for discrimination based on "race, pregnancy, family responsibilities, and gender, as well as retaliation". Her lawsuit alleged that she was denied scholarship funds, a teaching assistant position, and other opportunities because she was a white woman.{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3921964/rachel-dolezal-howard-university/|title=Rachel Dolezal Will Break Her Silence on Tuesday|magazine=Time}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/bizarre/rachel-dolezal-discrimination-lawsuit-786451|title=NAACP Imposter Sued School Over Race Claims|work=The Smoking Gun|date=June 15, 2015|access-date=June 16, 2015|archive-date=April 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420153829/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/bizarre/rachel-dolezal-discrimination-lawsuit-786451|url-status=live}} She also alleged that the removal of her artwork from a student exhibition at Howard in 2001 "was motivated by a discriminatory purpose to favor African-American students" over her.

Dolezal created a fountain sculpture titled "Triumph of the Human Spirit" that consisted of a tall column with troubled, sad figures at its base and dancing, celebrating figures further up the column. It was installed in downtown Spokane in June 2005 and was later auctioned off to benefit the Human Rights Education Institute.{{Citation |last= Boggs |first= Alison |title= Fountains will pour proceeds into nonprofits; CdA project to include up to 30 pieces |newspaper= The Spokesman-Review |publisher= William Stacey Cowles |url= http://m.spokesman.com/stories/2005/may/01/fountains-will-pour-proceeds-into-nonprofits/ |access-date= June 15, 2015 |date= May 1, 2005 |archive-date= June 26, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150626103222/http://m.spokesman.com/stories/2005/may/01/fountains-will-pour-proceeds-into-nonprofits/ }}

In 2007, while working as an art teacher at School Indigo in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Dolezal collaborated with children to make five works for a "Rights of the Child" exhibit by the Human Rights Education Institute.{{Citation |last=Cuniff |first=Meghann M. |title=The rights of children illuminated through art. |newspaper=The Spokesman-Review |date=April 7, 2007 |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2007/apr/07/the-rights-of-children-illuminated-through-art/ |access-date=June 15, 2015 |archive-date=July 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715111333/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2007/apr/07/the-rights-of-children-illuminated-through-art/ |url-status=live }}

File:Slave-ship.jpg (1840) by J. M. W. Turner. Dolezal painted a picture known as The Shape of Our Kind which was so similar to this one that it was considered plagiarism by Priscilla Frank at The Huffington Post and Sarah Cascone at Artnet.]]

In June 2015, Priscilla Frank at The Huffington Post and Sarah Cascone at Artnet made accusations of plagiarism against Dolezal. A Dolezal painting titled The Shape of Our Kind was alleged to be nearly identical to J. M. W. Turner's 1840 work, The Slave Ship.{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/15/rachel-dolezal-art_n_7586972.html|title=Rachel Dolezal's Artwork Is Not Only Problematic, It Might Be Plagiarized|work=The Huffington Post|date=June 15, 2015|access-date=June 20, 2015|archive-date=June 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619002944/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/15/rachel-dolezal-art_n_7586972.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/in-brief/rachel-dolezal-jmw-turner-308620|title=Did Rachel Dolezal Plagiarize J.M.W. Turner?|first=Sarah|last=Cascone|date=June 16, 2015|work=artnet news|access-date=June 20, 2015|archive-date=June 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621034142/https://news.artnet.com/in-brief/rachel-dolezal-jmw-turner-308620|url-status=live}} Frank accused Dolezal of plagiarism for not crediting Turner.

A July 2010 newspaper article indicated that Dolezal had stepped down as education director of the Human Rights Institute in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, after having served in that capacity for two years. Dolezal indicated that she was, "for all intents and purposes", forced to resign from the organization after its board declined to hire her as its executive director.{{cite news|url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jul/28/human-rights-educator-resigns/|title=Human rights educator Rachel Dolezal resigns|newspaper=The Spokesman-Review|access-date=June 13, 2015|archive-date=December 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208020845/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jul/28/human-rights-educator-resigns/|url-status=live}}

File:Rachel Dolezal leads the MLK March in Spokane 2015.jpg activists in Spokane, Washington and holding a sign reading "Martin's dream is forever!" on Martin Luther King Day in January 2015.]]

Dolezal was elected president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP in 2014, replacing James Wilburn. During her brief tenure, she was noted for revitalizing the chapter.{{cite news|title=Rachel Dolezal's story, a study of race and identity, gets 'crazier and crazier'|url=http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-spokane-naacp-rachel-dolezal-resigns-20150615-story.html#page=1|newspaper=LA Times|date=June 15, 2015|access-date=June 19, 2015|archive-date=June 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619113928/http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-spokane-naacp-rachel-dolezal-resigns-20150615-story.html#page=1|url-status=live}} Her resignation from the civil rights organization was announced on June 15, 2015, after the controversy surrounding her racial identity became public.{{cite web | url=http://www.wfsb.com/story/29322282/spokane-naacp-president-rachel-dolezal-resigns | title=Spokane NAACP president Rachel Dolezal resigns | publisher=WFSB Eyewitness News 3 | access-date=June 15, 2015 | first=George | last=Jones | archive-date=August 1, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801080646/https://www.wfsb.com/story/29322282/spokane-naacp-president-rachel-dolezal-resigns/ | url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/nov/23/spokane-naacp-elects-new-president/ | title=Spokane NAACP elects new president | work=The Spokesman-Review | date=November 23, 2014 | access-date=June 12, 2015 | last=Culver | first=Nina | archive-date=October 20, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020102052/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/nov/23/spokane-naacp-elects-new-president/ | url-status=live }}

Dolezal applied for the position of chair of the Office of the Police Ombudsman Commission in Spokane in May 2014, and was subsequently appointed by Mayor David Condon. In her application, she identified herself as having several ethnicities, including black.{{cite news| first =Kinsey| last =Clarke| title =Making Sense Of Rachel Dolezal, The Alleged White Woman Who Passed As Black| quote =... Rachel Dolezal, a leader of the Human Rights Education Institute ...| publisher =NPR| date =June 12, 2015| url =https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/06/12/413887930/making-sense-of-rachel-dolezal-the-alleged-white-woman-who-passed-as-black| access-date =June 12, 2015| archive-date =June 12, 2015| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20150612215913/http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/06/12/413887930/making-sense-of-rachel-dolezal-the-alleged-white-woman-who-passed-as-black| url-status =live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/06/16/rachel-dolezal-resigns-amid-race-identity-scandal|title=Rachel Dolezal resigns amid race identity scandal|work=sbs.com.au|access-date=June 16, 2015|archive-date=June 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616090145/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/06/16/rachel-dolezal-resigns-amid-race-identity-scandal|url-status=live}} In June 2015, City Council President Ben Stuckart said the city had opened an investigation of the truthfulness of her application. On June 17, 2015, the investigation concluded that she had acted improperly, violated government rules and abused her authority, and the report said the evidence and interviews confirmed workplace harassment allegations and "a pattern of misconduct" by Dolezal. Dolezal was asked to resign by Condon and Stuckart due to "intimidating and harassing" behavior.{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/article/rachel-dolezal-naacp-police-ombudsman-resignation|title=Rachel Dolezal Asked to Resign From Police Ombudsman Commission: People.com|work=PEOPLE.com|access-date=June 18, 2015|archive-date=June 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618070413/http://www.people.com/article/rachel-dolezal-naacp-police-ombudsman-resignation|url-status=live}} On June 18, 2015, the Spokane City Council voted unanimously to remove Dolezal from her position as chair of the Police Ombudsman Commission.{{cite web|url=http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/city-council-removes-dolezal-from-spokane-police-ombudsman-commission/33663178|title=City Council removes Dolezal from Spokane police ombudsman commission|work=KXLY|date=June 19, 2015|access-date=June 19, 2015|archive-date=September 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907120445/http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/city-council-removes-dolezal-from-spokane-police-ombudsman-commission/33663178}}{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/18/rachel-dolezal-removed-police-panel_n_7617490.html|title=Rachel Dolezal Removed From Police Panel|work=The Huffington Post|date=June 18, 2015|access-date=June 19, 2015|archive-date=April 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407042204/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/18/rachel-dolezal-removed-police-panel_n_7617490.html|url-status=live}}

In 2015, Eastern Washington University stated that "since 2010, Rachel Dolezal has been hired at Eastern Washington University on a quarter-by-quarter basis as an instructor in the Africana Education program. This is a part-time position to address program needs. Dolezal is not a professor."{{cite web|url=http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/ewu-releases-statement-on-rachel-dolezal/33552506|title=EWU releases statement on Rachel Dolezal|website=KXLY.com|publisher=Morgan Murphy Media|date=June 12, 2015|access-date=June 12, 2015|archive-date=October 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016012622/http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/ewu-releases-statement-on-rachel-dolezal/33552506}} She taught "The Black Woman's Struggle", "African and African American Art History", "African History", "African American Culture", and "Intro to Africana Studies".{{cite news |first1= Shawn |last1= Chitnis |first2= Taylor |last2= Viydo |first3= Lindsay |last3= Nadrich |title= EWU comments on teacher & NAACP leader outed as 'white' |publisher= KREM |date= June 12, 2015 |url= http://www.krem.com/longform/news/local/spokane-county/2015/06/10/detectives-question-naacp-hate-mail-processing/71043278/ |access-date= June 12, 2015 |archive-date= October 23, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151023042948/http://www.krem.com/longform/news/local/spokane-county/2015/06/10/detectives-question-naacp-hate-mail-processing/71043278/ }} A statement by university officials on June 15, 2015, indicated that Dolezal was "no longer an employee of Eastern Washington University". Despite not being a professor, she used the title "professor" on several websites.

Dolezal was a frequent contributor to The Inlander, an alternative weekly newspaper in Spokane.{{cite web|url=http://easterneronline.com/35006/eagle-life/a-life-to-be-heard/|title=The Easterner: A Life to be Heard|first=Shawntelle|last=Moncy|work=The Easterner|date=February 5, 2015|access-date=June 12, 2015|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216015629/https://easterneronline.com/35006/eagle-life/a-life-to-be-heard/}}

Dolezal released a memoir on her racial identity{{cite web|url=https://www.bet.com/article/9wjtdd/you-won-t-believe-why-rachel-dolezal-is-writing-a-book|title=You Won't Believe Why Rachel Dolezal Is Writing a Book|website=BET|access-date=April 12, 2016|archive-date=April 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413093225/http://www.bet.com/news/celebrities/2016/04/12/you-won-t-believe-why-rachel-dolezal-is-writing-a-book.html|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/article/2016/04/12/rachel-dolezal-book-today-show/|title=Rachel Dolezal announces new book on racial identity|date=April 12, 2016|magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} titled In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World in March 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-dolezal-book-cover-20161031-story.html|title=What do you think of Rachel Dolezal's book cover?|first=Michael|last=Schaub|work=Los Angeles Times|date=October 31, 2016|access-date=March 6, 2017|archive-date=March 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307123615/http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-dolezal-book-cover-20161031-story.html|url-status=live}}

Dolezal later became a public school teacher for the Catalina Foothills Unified School District in Tucson, Arizona. In February 2024, Dolezal was fired for violating the district's social media policy by publishing sexually explicit imagery of herself to OnlyFans.{{cite news | last1=Fink | first1=Eric | first2=Myles | last2=Standish | url=https://www.kvoa.com/news/local/breaking-news-tucson-teacher-loses-job-over-onlyfans-account/article_33f938fa-cb6b-11ee-a52d-d34f5a6df6a6.html | title=Tucson teacher loses job over OnlyFans account | work=KVOA-TV | date=February 13, 2024 | access-date=February 14, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=n.a. |title=Tucson school district drops instructor after OnlyFans exposure |url=https://tucson.com/news/local/education/precollegiate/rachel-dolezal-tucson-catalina-foothills-school-district-onlyfans/article_7adc55f6-cb6e-11ee-8803-3bcd55b84f0c.html | publication-place=Tucson | work=Arizona Daily Star |access-date=14 February 2024}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/14/rachel-dolezal-nkechi-diallo-onlyfans-arizona-school-fired |title=Teacher formerly known as Rachel Dolezal loses job over OnlyFans account |last=Paul |first=Kari |date=2024-02-14 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2024-02-01 }}

Dolezal later worked as a hair stylist, specializing in weaves and braids.{{cite web|last=Oh|first=Inae|title=Rachel Dolezal Is Now a Weave-Specializing Hairstylist|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/rachel-dolezal-now-weave-specializing-hairstylist/|access-date=2021-09-26|website=Mother Jones|archive-date=September 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926200715/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/rachel-dolezal-now-weave-specializing-hairstylist/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Herbert|first1=Geoff|date=2015-07-21|title=Ex-NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal now working at hair salon, still says she's black|url=https://www.syracuse.com/us-news/2015/07/rachel_dolezal_hair_salon_naacp_black.html|access-date=2021-09-26|newspaper=The Post-Standard|archive-date=September 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926202352/https://www.syracuse.com/us-news/2015/07/rachel_dolezal_hair_salon_naacp_black.html|url-status=live}} She also creates and sells her own artwork.{{cite web|last=Frank|first=Priscilla|date=2015-06-15|title=Rachel Dolezal's Artwork Is Not Only Problematic, It Might Be Plagiarized|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rachel-dolezal-art_n_7586972|access-date=2021-09-26|website=HuffPost|archive-date=October 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012194333/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rachel-dolezal-art_n_7586972|url-status=live}} She has stated that in the past she worked as a sushi chef.{{cite web|last1=Medina Mora|first1=Nicolás|title=Just Two Months Ago, Rachel Dolezal Did An Interview About Passing For Another Race|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nicolasmedinamora/heres-what-rachel-dolezal-said-about-passing-two-months-ago|access-date=2021-09-26|website=BuzzFeed News|date=June 12, 2015|archive-date=September 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926155151/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nicolasmedinamora/heres-what-rachel-dolezal-said-about-passing-two-months-ago|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Walters|first=Daniel|title=76 false or otherwise #problematic statements from Rachel Dolezal, and counting|url=https://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2015/06/19/75-false-or-otherwise-problematic-statements-from-rachel-dolezal-and-counting|access-date=2021-09-26|website=Inlander|archive-date=June 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620163912/https://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2015/06/19/75-false-or-otherwise-problematic-statements-from-rachel-dolezal-and-counting|url-status=live}} She has also produced content for OnlyFans, including pictures of herself engaging in activities such as working out as well as pictures of her feet, and Cameo, where website users can request custom video greetings.{{cite web|last1=Tenbarge|first1=Ken|title=Rachel Dolezal, the white woman who went viral for living as a Black woman, launched a 'tasteful' OnlyFans for workout content and 'foot pics'|url=https://www.insider.com/rachel-dolezal-onlyfans-transracial-white-woman-black-2021-8|url-status=live|access-date=2023-11-27|website=Business Insider|date=August 19, 2021|archive-date=September 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926205213/https://www.businessinsider.com.au/rachel-dolezal-onlyfans-transracial-white-woman-black-2021-8}}{{cite news|last1=Hill|first1=Clara|title=Rachel Dolezal sets up OnlyFans page|date=2021-08-20|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/only-fans-rachel-dolezal-content-b1906208.html|access-date=2021-09-26|website=The Independent|archive-date=September 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926155147/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/only-fans-rachel-dolezal-content-b1906208.html|url-status=live}} In 2020, a Cameo user tricked her into making a video referencing a white supremacist meme.{{cite news|last1=Webster|first1=Ken Jr.|title=Watch: Somebody Paid Rachel Dolezal to Say Racist Things About Black People|work=Walton And Johnson|publisher=KPRC AM 950|date=2020-04-06|url=https://kprcradio.iheart.com/featured/walton-and-johnson/content/2020-04-16-watch-somebody-paid-rachel-dolezal-to-say-racist-things-about-black-people/|access-date=2023-11-27}}

File:Rachel Dolezal at the MLK March in Spokane 2015.jpg

Dolezal is of Northern and Central European ancestry; her father has stated that their family is of primarily European descent and "a small amount of American Indian".{{cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2015/06/12/naacp-leader-has-pretended-to-be-black-for-years-family/|title=NAACP leader has pretended to be black for years: family|work=New York Post|first=Laura|last=Italiano|date=June 12, 2015|access-date=December 12, 2017|archive-date=October 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024143348/http://nypost.com/2015/06/12/naacp-leader-has-pretended-to-be-black-for-years-family/|url-status=live}}

According to her brother Ezra, Dolezal began changing her appearance as early as 2009, when she began using hair products that she had seen Ezra's biological sister use. She began darkening her skin and perming her hair sometime around 2011. When Ezra moved in with Rachel in 2012, she told him that Spokane-area residents knew her as black and said, "Don't blow my cover."{{cite news|last1=Nashrulla|first1=Tasneem|title=Rachel Dolezal's Brother Says She Warned: "Don't Blow My Cover"|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/rachel-dolezals-brother-says-she-warned-dont-blow-my-cover#.ogrRQaZYy|access-date=June 18, 2015|publisher=Buzzfeed News|date=June 12, 2015|archive-date=December 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217042600/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/rachel-dolezals-brother-says-she-warned-dont-blow-my-cover#.ogrRQaZYy|url-status=live}}

Dolezal has claimed to be a victim of race-related harassment.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/celebrity/how-rachel-dolezals-cover-as-a-black-woman-was-blown/|title=Inside Story: How Rachel Dolezal's Cover as a Black Woman Was Blown|website=PEOPLE.com|access-date=May 6, 2019|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220082326/https://people.com/celebrity/how-rachel-dolezals-cover-as-a-black-woman-was-blown/|url-status=live}} Dolezal stated on September 29, 2009, to KXLY that a noose had been left on her porch.{{cite news|url=http://www.kxly.com/news/Human-Rights-Advocate-Finds-Noose-On-Porch/719734|title=Human Rights Advocate Finds Noose On Porch|date=June 10, 2015|access-date=June 12, 2015|publisher=KXLY|quote=A local human rights advocate says she's become a target of racism after she recently woke up to find a noose on her front porch.|archive-date=June 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614153942/http://www.kxly.com/news/Human-Rights-Advocate-Finds-Noose-On-Porch/719734}}{{cite news|url=http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/questions-raised-about-naacp-hate-mail-report/33512308|title=Questions raised about NAACP hate mail report|last=Humphrey|first=Jeff|date=June 10, 2015|publisher=KXLY|access-date=June 12, 2015|archive-date=June 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613003421/http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/questions-raised-about-naacp-hate-mail-report/33512308}} In July 2010, Dolezal resigned from Human Rights Education Institute in Kootenai County and stated to KREM 2 News that "she had been the target of discrimination".{{cite news|url=http://www.11alive.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/06/11/spokane-naacp-president-questions/71101474/|title='Black' NAACP leader outed as white woman|date=June 11, 2015|work=11Alive|publisher=KREM|location=Spokane}} Dolezal's biography on Eastern Washington University's website stated that while she was living in Idaho, "at least eight documented hate crimes targeted (Rachel) Dolezal and her children". Dolezal reportedly made several reports of harassment and other crimes to police in Idaho and Washington, including that she had received a hate mail package at her NAACP post office box and that a swastika was placed on the door of the Human Rights Education Institute, where she had previously worked.{{Cite news|url=http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/06/12/rachel-dolezal-jackson-naacp-belhaven/71129550/|title=Woman accused of lying about race has Miss. ties|last=Royals|first=Kate|work=The Clarion-Ledger|access-date=June 12, 2015|archive-date=February 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220233324/https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/06/12/rachel-dolezal-jackson-naacp-belhaven/71129550/|url-status=live}} Regarding the hate mail package, detectives said the envelope that contained the alleged threats had no postage stamps, barcodes or any other indication of having been handled by the postal service. The postal inspector said, "The only way this letter could have ended up in this P.O. box would be if it was placed there by someone with a key to that box or a USPS employee." According to the Spokesman Review, as of 2015, none of Dolezal's allegations had resulted in an arrest or in the filing of criminal charges.{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/an-naacp-leader-in-washington-state-was-just-accused-of-pretending-to-be-black-2015-6|title=The NAACP stands behind one of its leaders accused of 'pretending' to be black|first=Bryan|last=Logan|website=Business Insider|access-date=April 12, 2019|archive-date=June 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615043600/https://www.businessinsider.com/an-naacp-leader-in-washington-state-was-just-accused-of-pretending-to-be-black-2015-6|url-status=live}}

Dolezal's uncle, Dan Dolezal, has stated that his niece first claimed that a black friend named Albert Wilkerson was her real father in 2012 or 2013.{{cite news| url= http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/rachel-dolezal-older-brother-accused-child-molestation-article-1.2257560| title= Rachel Dolezal supporting victim who accused her brother of child molestation, suggests parents outed her as white in retaliation| first1= Nancy| last1= Dillon| first2= Larry| last2= McShane| work= New York Daily News| date= June 14, 2015| access-date= June 15, 2015| archive-date= June 14, 2015| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150614143455/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/rachel-dolezal-older-brother-accused-child-molestation-article-1.2257560| url-status= live}} In another 2015 interview, Dolezal made reference to her "stepfather". Dolezal's mother has said she has never met Albert Wilkerson and that Dolezal does not have a stepfather. Dolezal later acknowledged that she had met Wilkerson while living in Idaho and that she considered him her "dad".{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-naacp-leader-who-was-recently-outed-as-white-says-she-identifies-as-black-2015-6|title=The NAACP leader who was recently outed as white says she identifies as black|first=Pamela|last=Engel|website=Business Insider|access-date=April 12, 2019|archive-date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412230900/https://www.businessinsider.com/the-naacp-leader-who-was-recently-outed-as-white-says-she-identifies-as-black-2015-6|url-status=live}}

In her 2014 application for the position of chair of the Office of the Police Ombudsman Commission in Spokane, Dolezal identified herself as having several ethnicities, including black. In an article she wrote for The Inlander in March 2015, Dolezal included herself when discussing black women through use of the pronouns "we" and "our".{{cite news|last1=Dolezal|first1=Rachel|title=A Woman's Worth|url=http://www.inlander.com/spokane/a-womans-worth/Content?oid=2425703|access-date=June 13, 2015|work=The Inlander|date=March 11, 2015|quote=Black women stand at the intersection of both oppressions, and when our lives are measured, the weight of our legacy will attest that we are of equal value to black men, white men, white women and every other person on the planet.|archive-date=June 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612120218/http://www.inlander.com/spokane/a-womans-worth/Content?oid=2425703|url-status=live}}

In a June 10, 2015, interview{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/rachel-dolezal-shell-address-race-questions-naacp-meeting/story?id=31748595 |title=Rachel Dolezal Postpones Monday NAACP Meeting Where She Planned to Address Race Questions |last1=Schabner |first1=Dean |last2=Shapiro |first2=Emily |date=June 14, 2015 |website=ABC News |access-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-date=October 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029034235/https://abcnews.go.com/US/rachel-dolezal-shell-address-race-questions-naacp-meeting/story?id=31748595 |url-status=live }} about various alleged hate crimes that Dolezal had reported,{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/rachel-dolezal-asked-fathers-race-interview-abcs-spokane/story?id=31727573 |title=Rachel Dolezal Is Asked About Father's Race in Interview with ABC's Spokane Affiliate |last=Shapiro |first=Emily |date=June 12, 2015 |website=ABC News |access-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-date=June 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612224133/https://abcnews.go.com/US/rachel-dolezal-asked-fathers-race-interview-abcs-spokane/story?id=31727573 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.kxly.com/news/local-news/spokane/did-naacp-president-lie-about-her-race-city-investigates_20161121042949505/176695501 |title=Did NAACP president lie about her race? City investigates |first=Jeff |last=Humphrey |date=June 12, 2015 |website=KXLY |access-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412224340/https://www.kxly.com/news/local-news/spokane/did-naacp-president-lie-about-her-race-city-investigates_20161121042949505/176695501 |url-status=live }} KXLY-TV reporter Jeff Humphrey asked Dolezal about a Facebook post in which Dolezal identified Albert Wilkerson as her dad.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/12/spokane-naacp-president-rachel-dolezal-may-be-white/ |title='Are you an African American?' Why an NAACP official isn't saying |last=Moyer |first=Justin |date=June 12, 2015 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 13, 2015 |archive-date=June 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612122745/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/12/spokane-naacp-president-rachel-dolezal-may-be-white/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Pérez-Peña |first=Richard |title=Black or White? Woman's Story Stirs Up a Furor |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/rachel-dolezal-naacp-president-accused-of-lying-about-her-race.html |work=The New York Times |date=June 12, 2015 |access-date=June 13, 2015 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511232847/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/rachel-dolezal-naacp-president-accused-of-lying-about-her-race.html |url-status=live }} The following is a partial transcript of the exchange:

{{blockquote|KXLY: Is that your dad?

Dolezal: "Yeah, that's my dad."

KXLY: This man right here is your father? Right there?

Dolezal: "You have a question about that?"

KXLY: Yes, ma'am. I was wondering if your dad really is an African-American man?

Dolezal: "That's a very–I mean, I don't–I don't know what you're implying."

KXLY: Are you African-American?

Dolezal: "I don't, I don't understand the question of—I did tell you that, yes, that's my dad. And he was unable to come in January."

KXLY: Are your parents, are they white?

Dolezal: "I refuse."
Dolezal walks away and turns off her mic.}}

On June 11, Jeff Selle and Maureen Dolan of the Coeur d'Alene Press published an article entitled "Black Like Me?" The article reported that Dolezal had "made claims in the media and elsewhere about her ethnicity, race and background that are contradicted by her biological parents", and went on to outline Dolezal's past hate crimes allegations, allegations of being abused with a baboon whip by her parents, misrepresentations about her race, and misrepresentations about the identity of her father. The article further stated that Dolezal, in a recent interview, "maintained that she is African-American. 'They can DNA test me if they want to,' she said. 'I would caution you on all of this. This is ridiculous.{{'"}} Ruthanne Dolezal was quoted in the article, stating that her daughter's allegation of being abused with a baboon whip was "a very false and malicious lie" and adding that it was "disturbing that she has become so dishonest".{{cite web|url=https://www.cdapress.com/archive/article-385adfeb-76f3-5050-98b4-d4bf021c423f.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119063738/http://www.cdapress.com/archive/article-385adfeb-76f3-5050-98b4-d4bf021c423f.html|archive-date=January 19, 2017|title=Black like me?|last1=June 11|first2=Jeff|last2=Selle|date=June 11, 2015|website=www.cdapress.com}}

People later reported on the circumstances leading up to the publication of "Black Like Me?" According to People, Selle had learned of Dolezal's allegation that a package containing racist threats against her was delivered to the post office box of the Spokane, Washington, NAACP. Selle recalled that Dolezal had made similar allegations when she was living in Coeur d'Alene, and that the allegations were not substantiated. Sensing a potential story, Selle discovered that Dolezal had identified Wilkerson as her father; when contacted, Wilkerson contradicted this assertion. Dolan then discovered a photo of Dolezal's actual parents on the internet, and Selle made contact with them. Larry and Ruthanne Dolezal gave Selle pictures of "their naturally blond, fair-skinned daughter" and a copy of her birth certificate.{{cite web |url=http://www.people.com/article/rachel-dolezal-black-woman-cover-blown-hate-crimes |title=Inside Story: How Rachel Dolezal's Cover as a Black Woman Was Blown |last=Herbst |first=Diane |date=June 20, 2015 |website=People |access-date=June 21, 2015 |archive-date=June 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621051420/http://www.people.com/article/rachel-dolezal-black-woman-cover-blown-hate-crimes |url-status=live }}

The controversy surrounding Dolezal's ancestry and identity became national news.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/rachel-dolezal-naacp-president-accused-of-lying-about-her-race.html |title=NAACP Leader Rachel Dolezal Posed as Black, Parents Say |work=The New York Times |date=June 12, 2015 |access-date=June 12, 2015 |last=Victor |first=Daniel |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511232847/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/rachel-dolezal-naacp-president-accused-of-lying-about-her-race.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/what-rachel-dolezal-left-behind/449316/ |title=What Rachel Dolezal Left Behind |first=Sarah |last=Mimms |date=July 6, 2015 |website=The Atlantic |access-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412222834/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/what-rachel-dolezal-left-behind/449316/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/former-naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-gets-new-african-name|title=Former NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal gets new African name|date=March 2, 2017|website=Associated Press|access-date=April 12, 2019|archive-date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412222830/https://www.foxnews.com/us/former-naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-gets-new-african-name|url-status=live}}{{cite news | url=http://www.newsweek.com/family-accuses-naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-falsely-portraying-herself-black-342511 | title=Family Accuses NAACP Leader Rachel Dolezal of Falsely Portraying Herself as Black | work=Newsweek | date=June 12, 2015 | access-date=June 12, 2015 | last=Mosendz | first=Polly | archive-date=June 13, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613035827/http://www.newsweek.com/family-accuses-naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-falsely-portraying-herself-black-342511 | url-status=live }}

After the controversy regarding Dolezal's deception became public, the NAACP released a statement in support of her leadership. However, a petition calling for her to resign her position as President of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP was launched.{{cite web |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jun/14/spokane-officials-investigating-rachel-dolezals/ |title=Spokane officials investigating Rachel Dolezal's behavior on ombudsman panel |last=Culver |first=Nina |date=June 14, 2015 |access-date=February 19, 2021 |archive-date=March 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316203228/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jun/14/spokane-officials-investigating-rachel-dolezals/ |url-status=live }} Dolezal stepped down from her position at the NAACP on June 15, 2015.

An investigation into Dolezal's behavior as chair of the Office of the Police Ombudsman Commission in Spokane concluded that she had engaged in "a pattern of misconduct". On June 18, 2015, the Spokane City Council voted unanimously to remove Dolezal from her position as chair.

On June 15, 2015, The Inlander (a publication to which Dolezal had contributed) announced that it had cut ties with Dolezal, saying that they felt "manipulated and deceived".{{cite web|url=http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/dolezal-out-at-ewu-inlander/33594360|title=Dolezal out at EWU, Inlander|work=KXLY|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617211600/http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/dolezal-out-at-ewu-inlander/33594360|archive-date=June 17, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/15/rachel-dolezal-dismissed-local-university-weekly-p/|title=Rachel Dolezal dismissed from local university, weekly paper|work=The Washington Times|access-date=June 16, 2015|archive-date=June 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616154157/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/15/rachel-dolezal-dismissed-local-university-weekly-p/|url-status=live}}

The revelations about Dolezal's ancestry and her other claims provoked a range of reactions. Dolezal's critics argued that she committed cultural appropriation{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/rachel-dolezal-white-woman-black-racial-fluidity-accepted-transracial-naacp-a7653131.html|title=Rachel Dolezal calls for 'racial fluidity' to be accepted|date=March 27, 2017|website=The Independent|access-date=May 6, 2019|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503081146/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/rachel-dolezal-white-woman-black-racial-fluidity-accepted-transracial-naacp-a7653131.html|url-status=live}} and fraud.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-banks-rachel-race-20150616-column.html|title=Getting a clearer view of a white woman's black deception|first=Sandy|last=Banks|website=Los Angeles Times|date=June 16, 2015|access-date=May 3, 2019|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503081141/https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-banks-rachel-race-20150616-column.html|url-status=live}} However, others said that Dolezal's asserted identity should be respected.{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3921404/rachel-dolezal-naacp-race-kareem-abdul-jabbar/|title=Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Let Rachel Dolezal Be as Black as She Wants To Be|magazine=Time}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/90860-5-surprising-rachel-dolezal-supporters-who-have-stood-by-the-activist-despite-the-public-backlash|title=5 Surprising Rachel Dolezal Supporters|first=Melanie|last=Schmitz|website=Bustle|date=June 17, 2015|access-date=May 3, 2019|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503081140/https://www.bustle.com/articles/90860-5-surprising-rachel-dolezal-supporters-who-have-stood-by-the-activist-despite-the-public-backlash|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/rachel-dolezal-defended-by-black-scholar-let-her-be-a-black-woman-its-not-going-to-hurt-anybody/|title=Rachel Dolezal Defended by Black Scholar: 'Let Her Be a Black Woman, It's Not Going to Hurt Anybody'|date=June 17, 2015|access-date=May 3, 2019|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503081141/https://www.thewrap.com/rachel-dolezal-defended-by-black-scholar-let-her-be-a-black-woman-its-not-going-to-hurt-anybody/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-dolezal-defense-20170603-story.html|title=Why can't Rachel Dolezal transcend race?|first=Barrie|last=Friedland|website=baltimoresun.com|access-date=May 3, 2019|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503081142/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-dolezal-defense-20170603-story.html|url-status=live}} Angela Schwendiman, a colleague of Dolezal's at Eastern Washington University, expressed her belief that Dolezal perceived herself as black internally, and that "she was only trying to match how she felt on the inside with her outside".{{cite news |first1=Elisha |last1=Fieldstadt |first2=Giselle |last2=Lamarre |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/embattled-naacp-president-rachel-dolezal-will-address-race-controversy-monday-n374986 |title=NAACP Chapter President Rachel Dolezal Plans to Address Race Controversy Monday |publisher=NBC News |date=June 13, 2015 |access-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-date=February 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228172352/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/embattled-naacp-president-rachel-dolezal-will-address-race-controversy-monday-n374986 |url-status=live }} Similarly Cedric Bradley, a colleague of hers at Spokane's NAACP, suggested it mattered little to him whether Dolezal was actually black or not. What did matter to him was her proven track record in social justice work. "It's not about black and white", Bradley stated, "it's about what we can do for the community".{{cite news |url=http://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2015/06/11/media-firestorm-swirls-around-rachel-dolezal-the-local-naacp-president |title=Media firestorm swirls around Rachel Dolezal, the local NAACP president |last1=Walters |first1=Daniel |last2=Thomas |first2=Jake |date=June 11, 2015 |website=Inlander |access-date=May 29, 2016 |archive-date=June 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613002326/http://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2015/06/11/media-firestorm-swirls-around-rachel-dolezal-the-local-naacp-president |url-status=live }}

In June 2015, psychologist Halford Fairchild asserted, "Rachel Dolezal is black because she identifies as black. Her identity was authentic, as far as I could tell."{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/13/rachel-dolezal-african-american-naacp-spokane |title=Rachel Dolezal identifying as African American is highly unusual, experts say |first=Amanda |last=Holpuch |work=The Guardian |access-date=June 13, 2015 |archive-date=November 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151128084826/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/13/rachel-dolezal-african-american-naacp-spokane |url-status=live }} Sociologist Ann Morning also defended Dolezal, saying: "We're getting more and more used to the idea that people's racial affiliation and identity and sense of belonging can change, or can vary, with different circumstances."{{cite web|url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/06/12/nyu-professor-naacp-rachel-dolezal/|title=Some People Can Be Trans-Racial, Prof. Says Of NAACP Controversy « CBS New York|work=cbslocal.com|date=June 12, 2015|access-date=June 17, 2015|archive-date=June 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617053956/http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/06/12/nyu-professor-naacp-rachel-dolezal/|url-status=live}} Washington Post journalist Krissah Thompson described her behavior as "white guilt played to its end". Thompson discussed the issue with psychologist Derald Wing Sue, an expert on racial identity, who suggested that Dolezal had become so fascinated by racism and racial justice issues that she "over-identified" with black people.{{cite news|last1=Thompson|first1=Krissah|date=14 June 2015|title=Rachel Dolezal: What the rights activist's story says about being white in modern America|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/rachel-dolezal-what-the-rights-activists-story-says-about-being-white-in-modern-america-10318082.html|website=The Independent|access-date=September 10, 2017|archive-date=October 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001221032/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/rachel-dolezal-what-the-rights-activists-story-says-about-being-white-in-modern-america-10318082.html|url-status=live}}

Gender studies scholar Samantha Allen said, "Rachel Dolezal seems determined to appropriate not just blackness but the rhetoric of transgender identity as well" and called the analogy "spurious".{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/16/dolezal-s-damaging-transracial-game.html|title=Dolezal's Damaging 'Transracial' Game|newspaper=The Daily Beast|date=June 16, 2015|last=Allen|first=Samantha|access-date=June 17, 2015|archive-date=June 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617194303/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/16/dolezal-s-damaging-transracial-game.html|url-status=live}} Washington Post journalist Jonathan Capehart suggested, "blackface remains highly racist, no matter how down with the cause a white person is".{{cite news|last1=Capehart|first1=Jonathan|title=The damage Rachel Dolezal has done|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/06/12/the-damage-rachel-dolezal-has-done/|access-date=June 13, 2015|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=June 12, 2015|quote=Blackface remains highly racist, no matter how down with the cause a white person is.|archive-date=June 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613185606/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/06/12/the-damage-rachel-dolezal-has-done/|url-status=live}} Her brother Ezra Dolezal also compared his sister's behavior to blackface and said "she's basically creating more racism".

In December 2017, Shawn Vestal of The Spokesman-Review called Dolezal "Spokane's undisputed heavyweight champion of racial appropriation".{{Cite web|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/dec/01/shawn-vestal-rachel-dolezal-remains-unabashedly-ra/|title=Shawn Vestal: Rachel Dolezal remains unabashedly Rachel Dolezal | The Spokesman-Review|website=www.spokesman.com|access-date=June 25, 2023|archive-date=April 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417144630/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/dec/01/shawn-vestal-rachel-dolezal-remains-unabashedly-ra/|url-status=live}}

The Dolezal case led to a debate in scholarship as to whether transracial identity can be compared to transgender identity.{{cite news |last=Lewis |first=Taylor |url=https://www.essence.com/news/rachel-dolezal-transracial-identity-opinions/ |title=Is 'Transracial' Identity Real? 11 Opinions That Will Leave You Thinking |work=Essence (magazine) |date=2020-10-27 |access-date=2022-01-18 |archive-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118183059/https://www.essence.com/news/rachel-dolezal-transracial-identity-opinions/ |url-status=live }}

On news outlets and social media, Dolezal has been compared to Sacheen Littlefeather, an American woman who passed as Native American and took the stage on the 1973 45th Academy Awards (the Oscars), for the fact that they both falsely self-identified with a culture or ethnicity that was not theirs, for personal gain and promotion.{{cite web |date=2023-01-05 |title=A Wisconsin Activist Just Got Accused Of Cosplaying A Person of Color |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/indigenous-wisconsin-fake-identity-lie_n_63b5e123e4b0fe267cad1bf8 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=HuffPost |language=en |archive-date=March 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313110851/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/indigenous-wisconsin-fake-identity-lie_n_63b5e123e4b0fe267cad1bf8 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |date=2022-10-25 |title=The Era of Pretendians › American Greatness |url=https://amgreatness.com/2022/10/24/the-era-of-pretendians/ |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=American Greatness |language=en-US |archive-date=March 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313110853/https://amgreatness.com/2022/10/24/the-era-of-pretendians/ |url-status=live }}

Dolezal has asserted that her self-identification is genuine, even though it is not based on ancestry.{{cite news|title=Rachel Dolezal in Center of Storm, Is Defiant, 'I Identify as Black'|date=June 16, 2015|last1=Johnson|first1=Kirk|last2=Pérez-Peña|first2=Richard|last3=Eligon|first3=John|author-link2=Richard Pérez-Peña|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/rachel-dolezal-nbc-today-show.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 3, 2017|archive-date=April 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425195240/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/rachel-dolezal-nbc-today-show.html|url-status=live}}

Dolezal issued a statement on June 15, 2015, asserting that "challenging the construct of race is at the core of evolving human consciousness".{{cite web|url=http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2015/06/15/naacp-meeting-rachel-dolezal/|title=Rachel Dolezal Resigns As NAACP Leader Amid Controversy|publisher=CBS Seattle|website=Seattle.CBSlocal.com|date=June 15, 2015|access-date=June 15, 2015|archive-date=June 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615221256/http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2015/06/15/naacp-meeting-rachel-dolezal/}} The following day, Dolezal told Today Show host Matt Lauer she was first described as "transracial" and "biracial" in articles about her human rights work, and chose not to correct them.{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/rachel-dolezal-breaks-her-silence-i-identify-black|title=Rachel Dolezal: Yes, I am black|date=June 16, 2015|first1=Benjamin|last1=Landy|first2=Joy Y.|last2=Wang|work=MSNBC|access-date=June 16, 2015|archive-date=June 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616195858/http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/rachel-dolezal-breaks-her-silence-i-identify-black|url-status=live}} In the same interview, she said the way she presented herself was "not some freak, Birth of a Nation, mockery blackface performance".{{cite news |url=http://www.today.com/news/rachel-dolezal-speaks-today-show-matt-lauer-after-naacp-resignation-t26371 |title=Rachel Dolezal breaks her silence on TODAY: 'I identify as black' |last1=Kim |first1=Eun Kyung |date=June 16, 2015 |website=Today News |access-date=May 29, 2016 |archive-date=May 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516062414/http://www.today.com/news/rachel-dolezal-speaks-today-show-matt-lauer-after-naacp-resignation-t26371 |url-status=live }} Dolezal later said that she has never claimed to be "transracial", a term associated mainly with transracial adoption.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/17/rachel-dolezal-draws-ire-of-transracial-adoptees/|title=Rachel Dolezal draws ire of transracial adoptees|first=Justin Wm.|last=Moyer|date=June 17, 2015|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=September 10, 2017|archive-date=September 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924183332/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/17/rachel-dolezal-draws-ire-of-transracial-adoptees/|url-status=live}} In a March 27, 2017, interview Dolezal said she identified as "trans-black".{{cite web|title=Rachel Dolezal Says She Identifies as Trans-Black|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/video/rachel-dolezal-says-she-identifies-as-trans-black-907981379504|access-date=2021-06-26|website=NBC News|language=en|archive-date=June 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628103705/https://www.nbcnews.com/video/rachel-dolezal-says-she-identifies-as-trans-black-907981379504|url-status=live}}

Dolezal alleged that the Spokane police chief had tired of dealing with her and had asked a private investigator to find out more information on her;{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/25/rachel-dolezal-not-going-stoop-apologise-grovel|title=Rachel Dolezal: 'I'm not going to stoop and apologise and grovel'|last=Aikenhead|first=Decca|work=The Guardian|date=2017-02-25|access-date=February 27, 2017|archive-date=May 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510141231/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/25/rachel-dolezal-not-going-stoop-apologise-grovel|url-status=live}} while the private investigator in question (Ted Pulver) acknowledged having investigated Dolezal, both he and the attorney for the police chief denied that the police chief had hired Pulver.{{Cite news |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/feb/25/investigator-who-learned-spokane-naacp-leader-rach/ |title=Investigator who learned Spokane NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal was white says police Chief Frank Straub didn't hire him |last=Hill |first=Kip |date=Feb 25, 2017 |work=The Spokesman-Review |access-date=2018-07-24 |archive-date=July 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704123149/http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/feb/25/investigator-who-learned-spokane-naacp-leader-rach/ |url-status=live }}

In subsequent interviews, Dolezal stated that she considered herself to be black.{{cite news| title =Family says Spokane NAACP head falsely portrays herself as black| quote =Civil rights leader Rachel Dolezal responds to claims she has misrepresented herself as African-American: "Yes, I do consider myself to be black."| newspaper =Chicago Tribune| date =June 12, 2015| url =http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-spokane-naacp-president-race-20150611-story.html| access-date =June 12, 2015| archive-date =June 12, 2015| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20150612180958/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-spokane-naacp-president-race-20150611-story.html| url-status =live}} In a November 2, 2015, interview on The Real, Dolezal publicly acknowledged for the first time since the controversy began that she was "biologically born white to white parents", but maintained that she identified as black.{{cite news|url=https://time.com/4096959/rachel-dolezal-white/|last1=Frizell|first1=Sam|title=Rachel Dolezal: I Was Born White|access-date=November 2, 2015|magazine=Time|date=November 2, 2015|archive-date=November 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102221101/http://time.com/4096959/rachel-dolezal-white/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Mercedes Lara|first1=Maria|title=Rachel Dolezal Admits She Was 'Biologically Born White' but Maintains That She Identifies as Black|url=http://www.people.com/article/rachel-dolezal-admits-white-the-real-show-video|magazine=People|access-date=November 2, 2015|date=November 2, 2015|archive-date=November 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102221021/http://www.people.com/article/rachel-dolezal-admits-white-the-real-show-video|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Serico|first1=Chris|title=Former NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal: 'I was biologically born white'|url=http://www.today.com/news/former-naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-i-was-biologically-born-white-t53636|access-date=November 2, 2015|publisher=Today.com|date=November 2, 2015|archive-date=November 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151103142227/http://www.today.com/news/former-naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-i-was-biologically-born-white-t53636|url-status=live}}

In a February 2017 interview with The Guardian, Dolezal reasoned that race is more fluid than gender because race is an entirely social construct. She stated, "I feel that I was born with the essential essence of who I am, whether it matches my anatomy and complexion or not ... I've never questioned being a girl or woman, for example, but whiteness has always felt foreign to me, for as long as I can remember." She added, "I didn't choose to feel this way or be this way, I just am. What other choice is there than to be exactly who we are?" Critics took issue with Dolezal's logic. The Guardian columnist Claire Hynes wrote, "Dolezal is correct to argue that race is largely a social construct rather than a science", but "what defines people of colour is a limited ability to control how we are viewed, and a lack of freedom to 'write our own stories'."{{cite web|date=2017-03-27|title=Rachel Dolezal's pick-your-race policy works brilliantly – as long as you're white {{!}} Claire Hynes|url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/27/rachel-dolezal-race-white|access-date=2020-11-27|website=the Guardian|language=en|archive-date=December 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215193701/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/27/rachel-dolezal-race-white|url-status=live}}

In June 2015, Maya Rudolph did an impression of Dolezal on Late Night with Seth Meyers.{{cite web|url = https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/23/maya-rudolph-rachel-dolezal-impression_n_7645094.html|title = Maya Rudolph Does the Rachel Dolezal Impression You've Been Waiting for|website = HuffPost|date = June 23, 2015|access-date = January 10, 2019|archive-date = April 6, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160406152230/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/23/maya-rudolph-rachel-dolezal-impression_n_7645094.html|url-status = live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3931829/rachel-dolezal-maya-rudolph-impression/|title=Watch Maya Rudolph's Hilarious Rachel Dolezal Impression|magazine=Time}} In 2016, Deborah Theaker played a parody of Dolezal on Lady Dynamite.{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/lady-dynamite-solves-racism-yay-1798188254|title=Lady Dynamite solves racism! Yay!|first=Emily L.|last=Stephens|website=TV Club|date=May 24, 2016|access-date=March 13, 2019|archive-date=March 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190309071205/https://tv.avclub.com/lady-dynamite-solves-racism-yay-1798188254|url-status=live}}

In 2018, a documentary entitled The Rachel Divide aired.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0115269/|title=Laura Brownson|website=IMDb|access-date=2018-05-04|archive-date=February 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218210323/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0115269/|url-status=live}} The film was directed by Laura Brownson and distributed by Netflix. The documentary explored Dolezal's 2015 racial identity controversy, the circumstances surrounding it, and its aftermath. The documentary received mixed reviews. Vogue gave the filmmaker credit for "balanced treatment of her deeply problematic subject matter".{{Cite news|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/rachel-dolezal-netflix-documentary-the-rachel-divide-laura-brownson|title=How Do You Solve a Problem Like Rachel Dolezal?|work=Vogue|access-date=2018-05-04|language=en|archive-date=May 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505065813/https://www.vogue.com/article/rachel-dolezal-netflix-documentary-the-rachel-divide-laura-brownson|url-status=live}} The New Yorker noted the film's portrait of family dynamics. "Eventually, Brownson locates the real story: a primitive power game between mother and child, one that forecasts calamity. And it is in this mode that The Rachel Divide becomes a disturbing and enthralling drama of the American family, the pain of its truths and its fictions."{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-rachel-divide-review-a-disturbing-portrait-of-dolezals-racial-fraudulence|title="The Rachel Divide" Review: A Disturbing Portrait of Dolezal's Racial Fraudulence|last=St. Félix|first=Doreen|date=2018-04-26|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=2018-05-04|language=en|issn=0028-792X|archive-date=May 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505134843/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-rachel-divide-review-a-disturbing-portrait-of-dolezals-racial-fraudulence|url-status=live}}

A character based on Rachel was also portrayed in a fictional Broadway show in the series finale of Younger.{{cite web|last=Fremont|first=Maggie|date=2021-06-10|title=Younger Series-Finale Recap: Everything New Is Old Again|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/younger-series-finale-recap-season-7-episode-12-older.html|access-date=2021-06-27|website=Vulture|language=en-us|archive-date=June 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627004524/https://www.vulture.com/article/younger-series-finale-recap-season-7-episode-12-older.html|url-status=live}} The main character of Mithu Sanyal's 2021 novel Identitti is modeled after Dolezal.Mithu Sanyal: Identitti, Astra Publishing House, 2022, {{ISBN|978-1-6626-0130-9}}.

In October 2022, the UK's Channel 4 show, Jimmy Carr Destroys Art, put her sculpture Misaligned Mind, to an audience vote, the audience electing to have Jimmy Carr destroy her work, over that of John Leech's cartoon Dis-united States;{{cite web |title=John Leech Cartoons from Punch magazine {{!}} PUNCH Magazine Cartoon Archive |url=https://magazine.punch.co.uk/image/I0000tF92rWZswg4 |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=magazine.punch.co.uk |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030195643/https://magazine.punch.co.uk/image/I0000tF92rWZswg4 |url-status=live }} in a show that voted on the destruction of artwork by Adolf Hitler, Eric Gill, Marcus Harvey, Pablo Picasso, Rolf Harris, and Sally Mann.{{cite web |title=Jimmy Carr Destroys Art review {{!}} 'A wretched viewing experience' |url=https://whynow.co.uk/read/jimmy-carr-destroys-art-review/ |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=whynow |date=October 26, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030194025/https://whynow.co.uk/read/jimmy-carr-destroys-art-review |url-status=live }}

According to a February 2015 article in The Easterner, Dolezal said she had suffered from cervical cancer in 2006, but had recovered by 2008. Dolezal's brother, Ezra Dolezal, has stated that he does not believe this to be true.

She has also stated that she has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).{{cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2017/03/23/rachel-dolezal-explores-her-blackness-in-bizarre-memoir/|title=The story of Rachel Dolezal gets even more bizarre|first=Gabrielle|last=Fonrouge|date=March 23, 2017|access-date=December 12, 2017|archive-date=November 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106052554/http://nypost.com/2017/03/23/rachel-dolezal-explores-her-blackness-in-bizarre-memoir/|url-status=live}}

In October 2016, Dolezal legally changed her name to a Nigerian phrase that means "gift of God".{{cite news|title=Former Washington NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal gets new name|url=http://kfor.com/2017/03/02/former-washington-naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-gets-new-name/|access-date=5 March 2017|agency=Associated Press|date=2 March 2017|archive-date=March 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305193335/http://kfor.com/2017/03/02/former-washington-naacp-leader-rachel-dolezal-gets-new-name/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=The Heart of Whiteness: Ijeoma Oluo Interviews Rachel Dolezal, the White Woman Who Identifies as Black|author-link=Ijeoma Oluo|author=Oluo, Ijeoma|url=http://www.thestranger.com/features/2017/04/19/25082450/the-heart-of-whiteness-ijeoma-oluo-interviews-rachel-dolezal-the-white-woman-who-identifies-as-black|work=The Stranger|date=April 19, 2017|access-date=October 6, 2017|archive-date=October 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014015714/http://www.thestranger.com/features/2017/04/19/25082450/the-heart-of-whiteness-ijeoma-oluo-interviews-rachel-dolezal-the-white-woman-who-identifies-as-black|url-status=live}} She later clarified that she still intends to use the name Rachel Dolezal "as her public persona", but that she changed her name to have a better chance of landing work.{{cite news |author=Geranios, Nicholas K. |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/rachel-dolezal-racial-identity-african-american-black-white-struggle-financially-naacp-memoir-a7648376.html |title=Rachel Dolezal struggling to make ends meet after racial identity scandal |work=The Independent |date=March 24, 2017 |access-date=April 28, 2017 |archive-date=May 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517024740/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/rachel-dolezal-racial-identity-african-american-black-white-struggle-financially-naacp-memoir-a7648376.html |url-status=live }}

In February 2017, Dolezal was receiving food stamps. She said she was on the brink of homelessness and unable to find employment.

In May 2018, Dolezal was charged with second-degree perjury and felony theft by welfare fraud by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.{{Cite news |url=http://www.khq.com/story/38272892/first-on-khq-former-spokane-naacp-president-rachel-dolezal-facing-felony-theft-charges-for-welfare-fraud |title=Former Spokane NAACP president Rachel Dolezal facing felony theft charges for welfare fraud |last=Maxwell |first=Peter |date=Jun 12, 2018 |publisher=KHQ-TV |access-date=2018-07-24 |language=en |archive-date=May 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525004742/http://www.khq.com/story/38272892/first-on-khq-former-spokane-naacp-president-rachel-dolezal-facing-felony-theft-charges-for-welfare-fraud |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article211878159.html |title=Rachel Dolezal charged with welfare fraud |date=May 24, 2018 |work=The Sacramento Bee |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525134119/http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article211878159.html |archive-date=2018-05-25 |agency=The Associated Press}} The charges were filed after it was revealed that she had received $8,847 in food and childcare assistance between August 2015 and December 2017. During that period, she had received tens of thousands of dollars in unreported income, but had told the state that her income was less than $500 per month. State investigators discovered that, after her book was published, approximately $83,924 had been deposited into her bank account in monthly installments between August 2015 and September 2017. According to the Spokane County prosecutor's office, Dolezal could have received a sentence of up to 15 years in prison if she was found guilty.{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/05/25/rachel-dolezal-who-posed-black-woman-accused-welfare-fraud/643773002/ |title=Rachel Dolezal, former NAACP leader who posed as a black woman, accused of welfare fraud |last=May |first=Ashley |date=2018-05-25 |website=usatoday.com |access-date=2018-05-25 |archive-date=May 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525163101/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/05/25/rachel-dolezal-who-posed-black-woman-accused-welfare-fraud/643773002/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.salon.com/2018/05/25/rachel-dolezal-faces-up-to-15-years-in-prison-if-convicted-of-felony-charges-for-welfare-fraud/ |title=Rachel Dolezal faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of felony charges for welfare fraud Dolezal, who changed her name to Nkechi Diallo, is accused of being overpaid a total of $8,847 from social services |last=Leah |first=Rachel |date=2018-05-25 |access-date=2018-05-26 |archive-date=May 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527023340/https://www.salon.com/2018/05/25/rachel-dolezal-faces-up-to-15-years-in-prison-if-convicted-of-felony-charges-for-welfare-fraud/ |url-status=live }} She entered into a diversion agreement on March 25, 2019, agreeing to repay her assistance benefits and complete 120 hours of community service to avoid a trial.{{cite web | title=Rachel Dolezal agrees to pay back $8,847, complete community service to avoid trial on welfare fraud charges | website=Spokesman.com | date=April 4, 2019 | url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/apr/04/rachel-dolezal-pays-back-8847-agrees-to-community-/ | access-date=April 6, 2019 | archive-date=April 5, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405215604/http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/apr/04/rachel-dolezal-pays-back-8847-agrees-to-community-/ | url-status=live }}

• Cultural appropriation
• Hypatia transracialism controversy
• Marie Sophie Hingst
• Sacheen Littlefeather
• Andrea Smith
• Martina Big
• Jessica Krug
• Racial misrepresentation

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• [http://racheldolezal.blogspot.com/ Dolezal's art blog]

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