Dolezal's family dispute leaks into her professional life

What starts out as a simple dispute can sometimes grow to unimaginable proportions.

In the last week, many eyes across the nation have been fixated on Rachel Dolezal, the recently resigned president of Spokane’s NAACP chapter and a part-time African Studies professor at Eastern Washington University.

Dolezal, who is originally from Montana, has been under the microscope after her parents revealed to the media that she is white with a trace of Native American heritage and alleging that their daughter has been portraying herself as a black woman.

Dolezal initially dismissed her parent’s claims, saying it was a result of a family dispute and adding there are “a lot of complexities.”

Dolezal’s parents, who she has not spoken to in years, released photos depicting their daughter with blond hair and fair skin and documents that state they are both white. In an interview with TODAY’s Matt Lauer, Dolezal said she identifies herself as “black” and has done so since she was 5 years old — something her family disputes though they have said she had always been interested in African American culture.

In an interview with CNN, Ezra Dolezal, Rachel’s adopted brother who is African American, said he noticed his sister’s physical changes when she was an adult, though he compared the transformation into living in blackface.” He added that she did not know “what it was like to be “black” and “never went through the struggles that go with it.”

What started out as a simple family dispute has led to a story that has taken a life of its own. She’s talked about being the victim of hate crimes in past interviews, but now we are hearing about the lawsuit she filed against her alma matter, Howard University in 2002, that she was discriminated against because she was white. She’s also talked about the oppression she suffered from her parents and ex-husband.

Some of my friends have thrown around the term “transracial” and compare Dolezal’s ordeal to Caitlyn — formerly Bruce — Jenner, which is comparing apples to oranges. While Dolezal embraced her identity at an early age, Jenner struggled with his identity, even going as far as to take medication and go through therapy.

Dolezal said she “takes exception” to people saying that she was trying to deceive them.

From a legal standpoint, Dolezal may have done nothing wrong — unless she lied about her race when she applied to the city of Spokane’s police oversight commission or other federal forms. From an ethics standpoint, she has probably done more harm to her cause than good. Dolezal said some of the criticism she’s received has been “inhumane” — which I don’t doubt. However, this mess has also affected the people Dolezal has helped.

Some NAACP and community members support Dolezal and highlight the various things she has done for civil rights in the area. Prior to this scandal, her career as a civil rights activist was on the rise.

Others are not so forgiving and called for her resignation before she gave it on Monday. That evening, demonstrators gathered outside the NAACP offices along West Main Street to speak out against Dolezal.

Dolezal believes that her opponents are trying to erase all of the things she’s done. Her accomplishments and work in civil rights will always be there but in the minds of most folks, they will remain footnotes compared to the lie she perpetrated.

When you are involved in a scandal like this, people tend to forget the good things you have done and focus on the bad thing you did.

Dolezal made the right decision in resigning and probably should lay low until this storm blows over, though I’m sure we’ll see a movie or a book deal come out of this. We may see her in the civil rights scene again and possibly work with local groups. She’s a great resource.

As for Dolezal’s personal life, her parents said they hope to reconcile with their estranged daughter though I don’t see how things can be mended between her and her family at least not right now.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].