NAACP's Rachel Dolezal resigns post

Rachel Dolezal, the Spokane, Washington, chapter president of the NAACP who was outed by her parents for lying about being black, resigned her post Monday morning.

In a statement posted on Facebook, she said: "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."

She went on: "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."

Dolezal also thanked those who supported her during her tenure, and expressed interest in continuing to fight what she described as the five core problematic areas: "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 Changes (Criminal Justice & Public Safety, Health & Healthcare, Education, Economic Sustainability, and Voting Rights & Political Representation) that affect millions."

The resignation comes amid a flurry of complaints about Dolezal's reluctance to explain why she pretended to be black all these years, even though she was born white.

Gawker reported Dolezal was due to explain why she lied about her race at Monday's regular meeting of the NAACP, but changed her mind at the last minute.

In a Facebook post, Spokane NAACP wrote on Sunday: "Due to the need to continue discussion with regional and national NAACP leaders, tomorrow's meeting is postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date. We appreciate your patience and understanding at this time."

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The cancellation didn't go over well with all. Board member Lawrence Burnley wrote in reply, Gawker said: "I'm puzzled by your decision to arbitrarily cancel/postpone the meeting without input from the executive committee ... The Association's bylaws provide specific guidelines concerning monthly general/branch meetings. ... I don't see any language in the bylaws that empowers you, or any one member, to arbitrarily cancel/postpone [the] meeting."

Burnley also decried the cancellation as coming from "Spokane NAACP Chapter," calling that characterization "misleading" because it doesn't specify the postponement was Dolezal's doing.

Dolezal, born of Caucasian parents who say her ethnic background is of Czech and German ancestry, has come under fire for pretending to be black while leading the NAACP chapter. Her parents say she has always identified with members of the black community, but that she really began to change her physical appearance after her divorce from a black man years ago, as WND previously reported.

Dolezal is a professor in the Africana Education Department at Eastern Washington University, and has taught African History, African American Culture, the Black Women's Struggle and other similar courses, NBC News reported. She had been scheduled to give the keynote address at the school's recent graduation ceremonies, but did not show.

It's not clear why Dolezal has misrepresented herself as black – some have suggested it was for the money – but she was supposed to speak to her fellow NAACP members and give some sort of explanation. She backed out of that planned statement, however, and some of her fellow members and others around the nation are calling for her firing, various media reported.

The NAACP said in a statement its officials have a "long and proud tradition of receiving support from people of all faiths, races, colors and creeds," NBC reported.

Meanwhile, other details of her background have been trickling into the press in recent days – including the fact that she identifies as bisexual, according to recent publications.

In a December interview with the Spokane Faith and Values publication, Dolezal said: "I'd guess I'm also one of the youngest presidents [of the NAACP]. As a single mom who has lived on the poverty line and identifies as bisexual, perhaps some of my other demographics are also a first for Spokane. I know there is a strong majority of older straight men with strong church ties leading many of the branches nationally," the Daily Caller found.

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