Black Lies Matter: The Latest on Rachel Dolezal's Identity Crisis

What caused the NAACP leader to pose as a Black woman?

Rachel Dolezal Told Police Commission She Had a Black Father - More eyebrows are being raised at Rachel Dolezal, 37, as more details about her activities these past few months are being revealed. This time the Spokane City Councilman and Public Safety Committee Chairman are investigating her claims that she lied about having a Black father who was an Oakland police officer, according to the Spokesman. She told the story during the selection process for the oversight commission. (Photo: Dolezel Family/Splash News)

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Rachel Dolezal Told Police Commission She Had a Black Father - More eyebrows are being raised at Rachel Dolezal, 37, as more details about her activities these past few months are being revealed. This time the Spokane City Councilman and Public Safety Committee Chairman are investigating her claims that she lied about having a Black father who was an Oakland police officer, according to the Spokesman. She told the story during the selection process for the oversight commission. (Photo: Dolezel Family/Splash News)

Rachel Dolezal's Brother Is Facing a Trial for Child Molestation - Rachel Dolezal has thrust herself into the spotlight to answer questions about her race, and now attention is being brought to her brother Joshua Dolezal, who is awaiting trial for allegedly sexually abusing a Black child, according to the Washington Post. The report states that Rachel Dolezal could have possibly played a part in helping to "ochestrate" the molestation.  (Photo: Anthony Quintano/NBC News via AP)

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Rachel Dolezal's Brother Is Facing a Trial for Child Molestation - Rachel Dolezal has thrust herself into the spotlight to answer questions about her race, and now attention is being brought to her brother Joshua Dolezal, who is awaiting trial for allegedly sexually abusing a Black child, according to the Washington Post. The report states that Rachel Dolezal could have possibly played a part in helping to "ochestrate" the molestation.  (Photo: Anthony Quintano/NBC News via AP)

Rachel Dolezal Steps Down - Rachel Dolezal has stepped down from her post as president of the Spokane NAACP chapter, amid allegations that she had lied about being Black. "...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," she wrote on Facebook.  (Photo: NAACP)

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Rachel Dolezal Steps Down - Rachel Dolezal has stepped down from her post as president of the Spokane NAACP chapter, amid allegations that she had lied about being Black. "...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," she wrote on Facebook.  (Photo: NAACP)

Caught Out There - The exposé of Rachel Dolezal, an educator and NAACP chapter president who passed herself off as a Black woman for years even though she is white, blonde and middle class, boggles the mind. Dolezal became the object of Black Twitter's ridicule and a national debate this week when her parents came forward to reveal her true racial heritage, and since that moment the details keep getting wilder. Here's our attempt to untangle the web of lies that make up Dolezal's identity crisis.(Photo: Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review via AP, Film)

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Caught Out There - The exposé of Rachel Dolezal, an educator and NAACP chapter president who passed herself off as a Black woman for years even though she is white, blonde and middle class, boggles the mind. Dolezal became the object of Black Twitter's ridicule and a national debate this week when her parents came forward to reveal her true racial heritage, and since that moment the details keep getting wilder. Here's our attempt to untangle the web of lies that make up Dolezal's identity crisis.(Photo: Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review via AP, Film)

Family Matters - The first step in Rachel Dolezal's transformation from white to Black was making sure her family tree fit the profile. The Montana native (though she has claimed she grew up in South Africa) has three Black adopted siblings, the youngest of whom, Ezra, she has been passing off as her own son. He told Buzzfeed this week that he was warned by Rachel not to blow her cover when she moved from Montana to Spokane, Washington and "transitioned" fully. Ezra also claims Rachel brainwashed their brother Izaiah into believing their parents were racist.  (Photo: Courtesy Dolezal Family)

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Family Matters - The first step in Rachel Dolezal's transformation from white to Black was making sure her family tree fit the profile. The Montana native (though she has claimed she grew up in South Africa) has three Black adopted siblings, the youngest of whom, Ezra, she has been passing off as her own son. He told Buzzfeed this week that he was warned by Rachel not to blow her cover when she moved from Montana to Spokane, Washington and "transitioned" fully. Ezra also claims Rachel brainwashed their brother Izaiah into believing their parents were racist.  (Photo: Courtesy Dolezal Family)

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Looking the Part - Dolezal's transformation from blonde white girl to proud Black woman was gradual, and started with learning how to do her hair by practicing on her younger adopted sister, who is Black (indeed, even Dolezal's most vocal critics have had to admit she nailed the hair). Over the past six years, she started altering her complexion as well. “She puts dark makeup on her face and says she Black,” said Ezra. “It’s basically blackface.”(Photo: Rachel Dolezal via Facebook)

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Looking the Part - Dolezal's transformation from blonde white girl to proud Black woman was gradual, and started with learning how to do her hair by practicing on her younger adopted sister, who is Black (indeed, even Dolezal's most vocal critics have had to admit she nailed the hair). Over the past six years, she started altering her complexion as well. “She puts dark makeup on her face and says she Black,” said Ezra. “It’s basically blackface.”(Photo: Rachel Dolezal via Facebook)

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School Daze - Dolezal's family believes her decision to self-identify as Black stems from her experiences as a student at Howard University, an HBCU where she was an art major. She claims she experienced reverse racism for being one of the schools few white students, and that even her professors were disappointed when discovering her papers about African-American art were written by a white student. She sued the university in 2002 claiming she was discriminated against. Dolezal went on to teach Africana studies at Eastern Washington University, where her lectures have included "African-American Art History," "Introduction to Race & Culture" and "The Black Woman's Struggle." (Photo: AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios, File)

Community Leader - Dolezal's adoption of Black culture went beyond microbraids and self tanner. She serves as the president of Spokane's chapter of the NAACP and is a commissioner on the city's police oversight task force. She also claims that she and her sons have been targets of hate mail and death threats. On Friday (June 12), Spokane PD tweeted that all investigations into hate crimes against Dolezal have been suspended pending further information. (Photo: Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review via AP, File)

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Community Leader - Dolezal's adoption of Black culture went beyond microbraids and self tanner. She serves as the president of Spokane's chapter of the NAACP and is a commissioner on the city's police oversight task force. She also claims that she and her sons have been targets of hate mail and death threats. On Friday (June 12), Spokane PD tweeted that all investigations into hate crimes against Dolezal have been suspended pending further information. (Photo: Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review via AP, File)

Childhood Memories - Dolezal has described her childhood as troubled and her parents as abusive, but her adopted siblings paint a different picture, saying that she was raised in a happy, middle class household. “She was treated really well as a child,” her brother Ezra says, adding, “I think I would know if I was abused growing up, and I definitely wasn’t.” She has also said she grew up in South Africa and that her parents used bows and spears to hunt. Another lie, says Ezra. Though the Dolezal's did live in Cape Town from 2002 until 2006, Rachel was in Virginia for the duration. “She’s never been to Africa in her entire life,” Ezra says. (Photo: Courtesy Larry Dolezal)

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Childhood Memories - Dolezal has described her childhood as troubled and her parents as abusive, but her adopted siblings paint a different picture, saying that she was raised in a happy, middle class household. “She was treated really well as a child,” her brother Ezra says, adding, “I think I would know if I was abused growing up, and I definitely wasn’t.” She has also said she grew up in South Africa and that her parents used bows and spears to hunt. Another lie, says Ezra. Though the Dolezal's did live in Cape Town from 2002 until 2006, Rachel was in Virginia for the duration. “She’s never been to Africa in her entire life,” Ezra says. (Photo: Courtesy Larry Dolezal)

The Struggle Continues - While the national NAACP is standing behind Dolezal, saying that “one’s racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership," and that "the NAACP Alaska-Oregon-Washington State Conference stands behind Ms. Dolezal’s advocacy record,” the rest of us are still scratching our heads over her story. Is Rachel Dolezal a hero? A fraud? Or something in between? In any case, she has certainly sparked a meaningful debate about identity and race in America.  (Photo: Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review via AP, File)

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The Struggle Continues - While the national NAACP is standing behind Dolezal, saying that “one’s racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership," and that "the NAACP Alaska-Oregon-Washington State Conference stands behind Ms. Dolezal’s advocacy record,” the rest of us are still scratching our heads over her story. Is Rachel Dolezal a hero? A fraud? Or something in between? In any case, she has certainly sparked a meaningful debate about identity and race in America.  (Photo: Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review via AP, File)