Rachel Dolezal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rachel Dolezal
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Dolezal at a rally in May 2015
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Rachel Anne Dolezal
November 12, 1977 Lincoln County, Montana, U.S.
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| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
Kevin Moore
(m. 2000; div. 2004) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Joshua Dolezal (brother) |
Nkechi Amare Diallo (/nɪˈkeɪtʃiː əˈmɑːreɪ diːˈɑːloʊ/; born Rachel Anne Dolezal, November 12, 1977) (/ˈdoʊləʒɑːl/) is an American former college instructor and activist known for presenting herself as a black woman despite having been born to white parents. In addition to claiming black ancestry, she also claimed Native American descent. She is also a former National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter president.
Dolezal was president of the NAACP chapter in Spokane, Washington, from 2014 until June 2015.
Contents
Early life, family, and education
Dolezal was born in Lincoln County, Montana, on November 12, 1977, 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. Ruthanne and Larry Dolezal were married in 1974. Her surname is of Czech origin. Dolezal has an older biological brother, Joshua Dolezal, who authored a book about their upbringing in Montana. As of 2015, Joshua Dolezal is a full professor of English at Central College in Iowa. When Dolezal was a teenager, her parents adopted three African-American children and one Haitian child.
Dolezal has said she was born and lived in a teepee 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. Her mother stated that she and Dolezal's father briefly lived in a teepee 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.
Dolezal was raised in the Pentecostal faith. She 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. In 1998, she entered art works at Spokane's annual Juneteenth celebration; she expressed African-American themes through collages and mixed-media works.
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. Her thesis at Howard was a series of paintings presented from the perspective of a black man.
In 2000, Dolezal married Kevin Moore, a medical student at Howard University at the time of their marriage. The couple divorced in 2004. Dolezal and Moore have a son, Franklin Moore.
Dolezal gave birth to another son, Langston Attickus, in February 2016.
Career
Art
[[File:Slave-ship.jpg|thumb|The Slave Ship (1840) by J. M. W. Turner 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.
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.
Civil rights activism
Human Rights Institute
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.
NAACP
[[File:Rachel Dolezal leads the MLK March in Spokane 2015.jpg|thumb|left|Dolezal (fourth from right) while marching with NAACP 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. Her resignation from the civil rights organization was announced on June 15, 2015.
Teaching and writing
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." She taught "The Black Woman's Struggle", "African and African American Art History", "African History", "African American Culture", and "Intro to Africana Studies". 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.
Dolezal released a memoir on her racial identity titled In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World in March 2017.
Other work
Dolezal later worked as a hair stylist, specialising in weaves and braids. She also creates and sells her
Personal life
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).
In October 2016, Dolezal legally changed her name to a Nigerian phrase that means "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.
See also
- Blackface
- Cultural appropriation
