Where is Rachel Dolezal Now? Who is She? Check Here!
by Abinaya
Updated May 02, 2023
Who is Rachel Dolezal?
Rachel Dolezal is an American civil rights activist and African studies instructor who gained national attention in 2015 after it was revealed that she had been presenting herself as a black woman despite being born to white parents. This led to a public controversy about racial identity and cultural appropriation. Dolezal grew up in a predominantly white family in Montana. Later, she attended Howard University, a historically black college in Washington, D.C. After graduating, she worked as a human rights activist and became involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), where she eventually served as the president of the Spokane, Washington, chapter.
Where is Rachel Dolezal Now?
During the year 2021, Dolezal resigned from her job at the NAACP amid the issue of her ethnic identification. She was also fired as chair of the Spokane Police Ombudsman Commission after an inquiry determined she had participated in "a pattern of misconduct." The Pacific Northwest Inlander, to which Dolezal had contributed, also severed connections with her, claiming they had been "manipulated and deceived." Despite the controversy, Dolezal has never recanted her claim to be a black woman. She admits to being "biologically born to white parents," but believes race is a societal construct and hence self-identifies as black. In the years afterward, Dolezal published In Full Colour: Finding My Place in a Black and White World, a memoir about her racial identity.
She wrote about how she thought of herself as black even as a child, despite the fact that she didn't encounter another black person until she was 10 years old. She had the opportunity to spend her summer break at the age of 17 working for a family friend's greeting card firm. She wrote that her duty was largely nanny and cook, but she found relief in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, a realistic fiction novel about an enslaved person who survived through Emancipation.
Rachel Dolezal Name Change
Rachel Dolezal, the former leader of the NAACP who was embroiled in controversy for lying about her racial identity, legally changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo in October. Court documents in Spokane, Washington, revealed that Nkechi, a short form of Nkechinyere, means "gift of God" in Nigeria's Igbo language. It remains unclear why she decided to change her name.
Dolezal has faced financial difficulties after the revelation in 2015 that she was a white woman who identified as black, and her parents, who are white, publicly stated that she does not have an identity, further fueling the controversy. Dolezal stated in an interview with The Guardian that the only work she has been offered is in reality television and pornography. Despite applying for over 100 jobs, no one will hire her, and she is now on food stamps and may soon be homeless.
Rachel Dolezal Book
In 2017, Rachel Dolezal published a book titled "In Full Colour: Finding My Place in a Black and White World." The book is a memoir that explores Dolezal's personal experiences and struggles with racial identity, including her childhood, education, activism, and the controversy surrounding her identity. In the book, Dolezal shares her perspective on what it means to be black and the complexities of racial identity in America.
She also reflects on the backlash she received after being outed as a white person presenting herself as black and the impact it had on her personal and professional lives. The book received mixed reviews, with some critics praising Dolezal for her honesty and vulnerability, while others criticised her for appropriating another culture from her own and for her continued insistence on identifying as having an identity different from her own. Despite the controversy, "In Full Colour" remains a significant work in the ongoing discussion about race and identity in America.
Rachel Dolezal Parents
Dolezal was born on November 12, 1977, in Lincoln County, Montana, to Ruthanne and Lawrence "Larry" Dolezal, who are white and most of German, Czech, and Swedish descent; she was born as a blue-eyed blonde with straight hair. Ruthanne and Larry Dolezal married in 1974. Rachel's surname is of Czech origin. Dolezal has an older biological brother, Joshua Dolezal, who is an English professor at Central College in Iowa and wrote a book about their upbringing in Montana.
Dolezal's parents adopted three African-American children and one Haitian child while she was a teen. Dolezal's parents rescued three African-American children and one Haitian child while she was a teenager. Dolezal has stated that she was born and raised in a tipi and that her parents hunted for food with a bow and arrow. She also stated that at family game night, lima beans were used as chess pieces.
Dolezal's mother said that she and her father briefly lived in a tipi in 1974, three years before their daughter was born and that Dolezal's declarations were "completely false." Her parents and siblings served as Christian missionaries in South Africa from 2002 to 2006. Dolezal said she grew up in South Africa, but her family contradicts this.
Rachel Dolezal Kids
Rachel Dolezal has two children, a son named Franklin and a son named Langston. Dolezal married Kevin Moore in 2000. Moore, who was a medical student at the time of their marriage, divorced Dolezal in 2004. Moore and Dolezal have a son. Both of her sons are African American and were adopted by Dolezal and her now ex-husband, Kevin Moore, when they were young. After the controversy surrounding her racial identity, there were reports that Dolezal had lost custody of her sons, but those reports were later disputed. It is not clear what the current custody situation is for her children.
Rachel Dolezal Hair
Rachel Dolezal was born in Montana in 1977 to Caucasian parents, Ruthanne and Larry. She had blonde hair that was straight and blue eyes. Dolezal began perming her hair and darkening her skin to pass herself off as black, according to her brother Ezra. Ezra claims she warned him, "Don't blow my cover." In 2014, Dolezal was elected president of the NAACP branch in Spokane, Washington, and was commended for revitalising it. But everything came crashing down in 2015 when her parents discovered she was lying about her race. Rachel Dolezal, the former NAACP president who was exposed for lying about her racial identity in 2015, is causing controversy again with her new makeshift hair salon.
Where is Rachel Dolezal Now? - FAQ
Rachel Dolezal is a former American civil rights activist and African studies professor who rose to national prominence in 2015 after it was found that she had been presenting herself as a black woman despite being born to white parents.
She is well-known for the uproar over her racial identification and cultural appropriation. Dolezal self-identifies as black but acknowledges that she was "biologically born to white parents."
Rachel Dolezal was the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) branch in Spokane, Washington, from 2014 to 2015.
Rachel Dolezal is of European origin and was born to white parents. She has, however, identified as black and claimed that she views race as a societal construct.
The adoption of parts of one culture by members of another culture is referred to as "cultural appropriation." It is a contentious issue, with some claiming that it is damaging and disrespectful, while others claim that it promotes cultural exchange and understanding.