The parents of former Spokane NAACP head Rachel Dolezal gave their first interview since she stepped down as president this morning.
Dolezal turned in her resignation as word spread that the national executives of the NAACP had planned to ask her to step down at a scheduled meeting tonight.
Ruthanne and Larry Dolezal spoke to MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts about their daughter’s uncertain future.
“I pray that she will take the steps necessary to embrace her true personal identity and not feel compelled any longer to be false or malicious toward her family,” said Ruthanne Dolezal.
Days before the scandal broke worldwide, the Dolezals were approached by a news reporter who inquired about rumors that Rachel has been impersonating a black woman for years. The Dolezals confirmed the rumors.
“I don’t see any honest way that a person can describe themselves as transracial because your ethnicity comes from your genetic code and what’s handed down to you by your parents, your real biological parents,” Ruthanne Dolezal said. “I think the healthy path to take on this kind of discussion is to find a way to embrace and celebrate who you really are.”
The Dolezals said they read Rachel’s resignation which she posted on Facebook this morning.
“We support her in her decision,” Larry said when asked what he thought about Rachel’s resignation. “We read her letter. It was very well-written. We just hope and pray that what she said in her closing will be also inclusive of her family.”
According to the NY Daily News, Rachel Dolezal believes her parents betrayed her because she has been assisting a young sex assault victim who accused Rachel’s older biological brother of rape.
Joshua Dolezal, 39, was charged with 4 felony counts of sex abuse of a minor in 2013. His case is set for trial later this summer. He remains out on bond.
Rachel Dolezal’s Trans-black identity has been compared with Bruce Jenner’s transsexual identity. Both are considered by many to be a manifestation of mental illness.
But critics argue that if society accepts Jenner as a woman society should accept Rachel as black.
More from Sandrarose.com:
