Family say Dolezal not black
Dolezal’s parents, who say they are estranged from their daughter, accuse her of lying about her racial idenity. They say she began to “disguise herself” in 2006 or 2007, after the family had adopted four African-American children and Dolezal had shown an interest in portrait art. Mother:
It’s very sad that Rachel has not just been herself. Her effectiveness in the causes of the African-American community would have been so much more viable, and she would have been more effective if she had just been honest with everybody.
When asked about her racial identity by a local reporter, Dolezal responds:
That question is not as easy as it seems. There’s a lot of complexities … and I don’t know that everyone would understand that. We’re all from the African continent.