Spokane NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal has resigned amid questions over her racial identity sparked after her parents said she has falsely portrayed herself as black for years.
Dolezal had planned to speak to NAACP members Monday saying she would address the situation at a Monday night meeting of the group.
Dolezal is a 37-year-old artist and activist with dark curly hair and light-brown skin. Her parents in Montana have produced pictures of her as a blonde, blue-eyed child to prove that she is white.
She made the announcement on the Spokane NAACP Facebook page Monday.
In the letter Dolezal said, " 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."
The NAACP issued a statement Friday supporting Dolezal, who has been a longtime figure in Spokane's human-rights community and teaches African studies to college students.
The controversy over her race erupted last week when a Spokane newspaper talked to a white couple who say she is their daughter.
"Our daughter is primarily German and Czech and of European descent," said Ruthanne Dolezal.
On her person Facebook page, Dolezal identified 77-year-old Albert Wilkerson Junior, as her black father. Wilkerson has declined to speak to the press.
