Rachel Dolezal has been the talk of all of social media over the past few days after she was outted by her parents for being of Caucasian decent but living life and style as an African American woman.

Not that she doesn’t have the right to wear a certain kind/color of makeup and “ethnic” hairstyles that’s totally un-her. It’s no different than the popular [face full of makeup applied such to alter shapes of facial features and other skin imperfections] term known as: “contouring” and various weaves/hairstyles most wear girls today (totally un-like their natural hair too):

 

…but Rachel falsely identified herself on paper (marked an ‘X’ in African American as a race) when securing her position at the NAACP.

Therein lay the catalyst to problems that lead to her being investigated, thus, her parents telling the world the truth about who she really was beneath all that Mac and Max Factored.

BUT ARE WE A ‘RACHEL’ TOO?

What Rachel Dolezal did (for a living), all throughout the Internet we do for  attention and ‘likes,’ right?  We’ve gotten proof of Rachel’s childhood photos exposing what her hair, skin and face really looks like but in addition to the #AskRachel challenges across the Internet, are we willing to put up a #RachelChallenge by posting our 5, 7, 9, 13, 16, 18, 21 year old pics on the Internet pre-weave, and “contouring” fad?

 (Answer by the way: C. You have to be real “hood”/from the hood to know that. LoL)

(We’re not going to even talk about our fake body parts/pre-surgery…Many of us would rather die than suffer the embarrassment of that)…

So are we pretending to be who we aren’t too?

 

Although Rachel went to the extreme of layering the person she felt she was by race (“black”-by changing her look via hair and makeup), in that regard, she may very well have falsified herself in ways that all across Instragram is “acceptable” and “bad b/tch” etc.

But too, Rachel falsified herself on paper. And because of the protocol/technicality that people DO step down/get fired for falsification via other circumstances and in positions much smaller than hers, it is only right that for that reason (only)  she step down. From the looks of things and having getting back to life and back to reality…Rachel Dolezal’s got a lot to fight going forward.

 

If you read our blog yesterday, it was actually Rachel who was supposed to speak today but instead, the Spokane Chapter of the NAACP (of which she served as President since January 2015) permitted her a written statement (behind the written statement from main office chapter of the NAACP):

 

NAACP STATEMENT ON RACHEL DOLEZAL

June 12, 2015

Baltimore, MD – For 106 years, the National  Association for the Advancement of Colored People has held a long and proud tradition of receiving support from people of all faiths, races, colors and creeds. NAACP Spokane Washington Branch President Rachel Dolezal is enduring a legal issue with her family, and we respect her privacy in this matter. One’s racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership.  The NAACP Alaska-Oregon-Washington State Conference stands behind Ms. Dolezal’s advocacy record.  In every corner of this country, the NAACP remains committed to securing political, educational, and economic justice for all people, and we encourage Americans of all stripes to become members and serve as leaders in our organization.

Hate language sent through mail and social media along with credible threats continue to be a serious issue for our units in the Pacific Northwest and across the nation. We take all threats seriously  and encourage the FBI and the Department of Justice to fully investigate each occurrence.

 

 

RACEHL DOLEZAL’S  STATEMENT

Dear Executive Committee and NAACP Members,

It is a true honor to serve in the racial and social justice movement here in Spokane and across the nation. Many issues face us now that drive at the theme of urgency. Police brutality, biased curriculum in schools, economic disenfranchisement, health inequities, and a lack of pro-justice political representation are among the concerns at the forefront of the current administration of the Spokane NAACP. And yet, the dialogue has unexpectedly shifted internationally to my personal identity in the context of defining race and ethnicity.

I have waited in deference while others expressed their feelings, beliefs, confusions and even conclusions – absent the full story. I am consistently committed to empowering marginalized voices and believe that many individuals have been heard in the last hours and days that would not otherwise have had a platform to weigh in on this important discussion. Additionally, I have always deferred to the state and national NAACP leadership and offer my sincere gratitude for their unwavering support of my leadership through this unexpected firestorm.

While challenging the construct of race is at the core of evolving human consciousness, we can NOT afford to lose sight of the five Game Changers (Criminal Justice & Public Safety, Health & Healthcare, Education, Economic Sustainability, and Voting Rights & Political Representation) that affect millions, often with a life or death outcome. The movement is larger than a moment in time or a single person’s story, and I hope that everyone offers their robust support of the Journey for Justice campaign that the NAACP launches today!

I am delighted that so many organizations and individuals have supported and collaborated with the Spokane NAACP under my leadership to grow this branch into one of the healthiest in the nation in 5 short months. In the eye of this current storm, I can see that a separation of family and organizational outcomes is in the best interest of the NAACP.

It is with complete allegiance to the cause of racial and social justice and the NAACP that I step aside from the Presidency and pass the baton to my Vice President, Naima Quarles-Burnley. It is my hope that by securing a beautiful office for the organization in the heart of downtown, bringing the local branch into financial compliance, catalyzing committees to do strategic work in the five Game Changer issues, launching community forums, putting the membership on a fast climb, and helping many individuals find the legal, financial and practical support needed to fight race-based discrimination, I have positioned the Spokane NAACP to buttress this transition.

Please know I will never stop fighting for human rights and will do everything in my power to help and assist, whether it means stepping up or stepping down, because this is not about me. It’s about justice. This is not me quitting; this is a continuum. It’s about moving the cause of human rights and the Black Liberation Movement along the continuum from Resistance to Chattel Slavery to Abolition to Defiance of Jim Crow to the building of Black Wall Street to the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement to the ‪#‎BlackLivesMatter‬ movement and into a future of self-determination and empowerment.

With much love and a commitment to always fight for what is right and good in this world,

Rachel Dolezal