Fake it 'til ya make it

So the white gal who faked being black in an effort to become a big deal within an NAACP chapter is calling it quits....quitting her NAACP position that is. Dunno if she is also going to surrender the guise of being black.

Anyhow, her statement via the Spokane NAACP Facebook page:

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

Obviously Ms. Dolezal never addressed the core issue, which is why she felt the need to portray herself as a black woman. If she truly had compassion for the black community and the determination to help them overcome injustices she feels they've suffered, then why did she not attempt to vie for a position within the Spokane NAACP on merit? By essentially transforming her look into that of a black person, Dolezal implied that she felt she wouldn't get a fair shot at prominence within the NAACP unless she were black. So was she correct in her assumption? That's a question NAACP officials can answer better than I.

Regardless of what organization a person works for, if said individual engages in flat out fraudulent behavior, then dismissal should occur posthaste. Ms. Dolezal is doing the right thing by moving on. However, is it possible she may have unwittingly brought enlightenment to the NAACP? What I mean by that is if the Spokane chapter really thrived as Dolezal stated, is it possible that the organization's leaders would be open to more Caucasian chapter heads in the future considering what Dolezal brought to the table? Time will tell.

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