Friday, June 12, 2015

NAACP activist Rachel Dolezal under investigation by city over ethics breaches

A PROFESSOR of Africana studies and high-profile activist for the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) is under investigation amid speculation she faked her ethnicity.
Rachel Dolezal, 37, is the President of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP and works as a professor at Eastern Washington University. She is also Police Commissioner for the Office of the Police Ombudsman, charged with overseeing fairness and equity in law enforcement in Spokane.
However that position is now in doubt after her mother Ruthanne, said Rachel is not black but has Czech, Swedish and German roots with a touch of Native American heritage.
“It is very disturbing that she has become so dishonest,” she said.
Ms Dolezal had previously identified herself in applications for the city position as white, black and Native American, Time reports. Her university biography also sites that her passion for civil rights comes from her years spent in Mississippi and she has suffered hate crimes from white supremacists for her efforts.
Spokane Mayor David Condon and City Council President Ben Stuckart said they take the concerns raised very seriously.
“We are gathering facts to determine if any city policies related to volunteer boards and commissions have been violated. That information will be reviewed by the City Council, which has oversight of city boards and commissions,” they said in a joint release.
The investigation will focus on whether Ms Dolezal breached the city’s ethics policy in her application for the role, which requires any information submitted to be true.
The controversy erupted after an anonymous call from a person who claimed to be on the board of the NAACP to local media. It has since gained traction online with photographs of Ms Dolezal shared by Twitter users.

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