5 things keeping Rachel Dolezal's story alive
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It’s not easy to keep up with Rachel Dolezal, the white woman who was passing as black while leading the Spokane chapter of the NAACP before the couple claiming to be her birth parents revealed her mostly European genetic background.
Dolezal resigned from her position with the NAACP this week, but that was the tip of the iceberg. After the initial shock of public revelations, Dolezal lost her momentary shyness and stirred the pot.
Although she admitted making up the story about being born in a teepee in South Africa in an interview on the "Today" show Wednesday, Dolezal did not say why she made the story up in the first place.
There are a lot of twists and turns, including the ongoing child sex abuse allegations against her older brother, Joshua. But here are five other recent revelations and developments in the saga:
SHE SAYS SHE'S BISEXUAL: Dolezal said she identified with Caitlyn Jenner's story because she herself is bisexual.
DID SHE MENTION SHE'S A MODEL, TOO? In a long biography on the Spokane NAACP leadership page, Dolezal claims to be a model among other things. Check out the photos behind Dolezal's modeling claim.
SHE HAS DOUBTS ABOUT HER BIRTH CERTIFICATE: Dolezal said there is no biological proof that Larry and Ruthann Dolezal are her parents. Although they are named on her birth certificate, Dolezal says there is no DNA test to prove it.
CITY WANTS HER OFF POLICE COMMISSION: Spokane officials issued a report saying an independent investigation found Dolezal acted improperly and against government rules while serving as head of the city's volunteer police ombudsman commission. Based on the report, which details allegations of workplace harassment and "a pattern of misconduct," the city asked Dolezal and two others to step down from the commission. The Spokesman-Review reported that Dolezal presented herself as the daughter of a black police officer from Oakland, California, when she sought the appointment last year.
DID SHE MISLEAD HOWARD UNIVERSITY WITH HER ADMISSIONS ESSAY: Years ago, Dolezal sued Howard University for denying her a teaching position because she was white but a judge dismissed the suit and ordered her to pay the university's costs. During a deposition for that case before it was dismissed, Dolezal was asked if she had tried to misrepresent herself as black, describing her family as "transracial" in her admissions essay for the university. In the essay, according to the deposition, she also wrote, "At the early age of three I showed an awareness of the richness and beauty of dark skin when I said, 'Mama, all people are beautiful but black people are so beautiful.'"
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