American civil rights activist and former Africana studies instructor. She was the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter in Spokane, Washington from 2014 until 15 June 2015, when she resigned following allegations she had lied about her racial identity. She is currently chair of Spokane's police ombudsman commission. From 2008 to 2010, she was a leader of the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
In June 2015, Dolezal came to media attention when her white parents publicly stated that Dolezal is a white woman passing as black. This occurred following Dolezal's reports to police and to local news outlets that she had been the victim of nine hate crimes. Critics of Dolezal argue that she has committed cultural appropriation and fraud; defenders argue she is "transracial" and that her racial identity, while not grounded in biology or ancestry, is genuine.
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