Rachel Dolezal, born Rachel Anne Dolezal on November 12, 1977, in Lincoln County, Montana, is an American former college instructor and activist known for presenting herself as a black woman despite being born to white parents of German, Czech, and Swedish origin. See more of her here.
Dolezal was raised in the Pentecostal faith and claims she was frequently abused as a child.
Dolezal was homeschooled and achieved a 4.0 grade point average (GPA), graduating as one of several co-valedictorians in 1996. She won a $2,000 scholarship for college awarded by Tandy Leather for her entry in their 1996 Leather Art contest. In 1998, she entered artworks at Spokane’s annual Juneteenth celebration, expressing African-American themes through collages and mixed-media works.
Dolezal attended Howard University, a historically black college, and later taught African-American studies at Eastern Washington University. She also served as the president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP. In 2015, Dolezal’s racial identity sparked controversy when her parents disclosed that she misrepresented her racial background, claiming she was born white despite her self-identification as black.
Dolezal’s parents, Ruthanne and Lawrence “Larry” Dolezal, asserted that she always saw herself as white, contradicting her claims of identifying as black from an early age. Her family dynamics have been complex, with reports of adoption, estrangement, and legal actions within the family.
In 2016, Dolezal legally changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo, a Nigerian phrase meaning “gift of God”. 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.
Dolezal’s evolving physical appearance, from fair-skinned blonde to a darker complexion, has raised questions about authenticity and cultural appropriation. In 2017, she was charged with second-degree perjury and felony theft by welfare fraud after receiving $8,847 in food and childcare assistance between August 2015 and December 2017 while failing to report tens of thousands of dollars in income.
In February 2024, Dolezal was dismissed from her teaching position in the Catalina Foothills Unified School District in Tucson, Arizona, after it was discovered that she maintained an OnlyFans page showing explicit imagery of herself.
Despite the controversies surrounding her racial identity and legal issues, Dolezal remains steadfast in her self-identification as black, emphasizing her cultural connection and experiences that shaped her racial perception. Her journey has sparked debates about the complexities of race, identity, and the boundaries of cultural appropriation.
Conclusion:
The story of Rachel Dolezal is a complex and controversial one, raising questions about the fluidity of racial identity, cultural appropriation, and the consequences of misrepresentation. Her journey from a white woman to a self-identified black activist has sparked intense debates and scrutiny, leading to legal issues and the loss of her teaching position. Despite the controversies, Dolezal remains steadfast in her racial self-identification, highlighting the complexities of navigating the boundaries of race and identity in modern society.