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Tag: NAACP

  • Rachel Dolezal Concedes She Was Born White, But Says She Identifies As Being Black

    Rachel Dolezal shocked the world five months ago when it came to light that the former Spokane, Washington, NAACP leader was a white woman posing as an African-American.

    During an appearance on The Real on Monday, Dolezal explained that while she may have been born biologically white, she self-identifies as being black.

    “I acknowledge that I was biologically born white to white parents, but I identify as black,” Dolezal told cohosts Tamar Braxton, Loni Love, Tamera Mowry-Housley, Adrienne Baillon and Jeannie Mai.

    Dolezal said she has identified as being black since she was “really young,” adding that “sometimes how we feel is more powerful than how we’re born, and blackness can be defined as philosophical, cultural, biological, you know, it’s a lot of different things to a lot of different people.”

    This reiterates what Dolezal said during an appearance on the Today show soon after the news broke in June and she lost her position as the president of the Spokane, Washington, chapter of the NAACP as well as a part-time teaching job at Eastern Washington University as a result of the misrepresentation. She noted then that she identifies racially as “human” and culturally as “black.”

    “I was drawing self-portraits with the brown crayon instead of the peach crayon,” she said in June. “That’s how I was portraying myself.”

    In July, she also told Vanity Fair that she identifies as being black.

    “I’ve had my years of confusion and wondering who I really [was] and why and how do I live my life and make sense of it all, but I’m not confused about that any longer,” she told the magazine. “I think the world might be – but I’m not.”

    She added, “I wouldn’t say I’m African American, but I would say I’m black, and there’s a difference in those terms.”

    Dolezal has been scrutinized and criticized but she has also found some high-profile support. In the November issue of Vanity Fair, Rihanna, 27, said she thought Dolezal was a “bit of a hero” because she “kind of flipped on society a little bit.”

    “Is it such a horrible thing that she pretended to be black?” Rihanna asked in the interview. “Black is a great thing, and I think she legit changed people’s perspective a bit and woke people up.”

    What are your thoughts? Is this any different than Bruce Jenner identifying as a woman?

  • Rachel Dolezal is NOT Black, Activist Finally Admits The Truth

    Controversial American civil rights activist Rachel Dolezal has finally said what everybody else has known for months – that she is NOT a black woman – at least not biologically.

    In an episode of daytime talk show The Real, Dolezal sat down with the all-female panel, who immediately dove into the subject of her race.

    It can be remembered that Dolezal sparked a huge racial debate earlier this year when her biological parents – both Caucasian – came out to the media and “outed” their daughter for not being black, an identity that Dolezal has adopted for a long time.

    Prior to the admission, Dolezal had been deeply immersed in African-American society for almost a decade, attending Howard University — a historically black institution – on a scholarship to complete her graduate studies, marrying a black man, and even teaching African American studies and art at Eastern Washington University.

    However, the icing on the cake was being president of her local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Spokane, Washington. Dolezal held this position from 2014 until her resignation in June of 2015.

    In the show, panelist Loni Love asked Dolezal if she was “ashamed” of being white, to which she answered, “Well, like Dick Gregory says, white isn’t a race, it’s a state of mind,” referencing the political satirist and social critic.

    “I acknowledge I was born biologically white, to white parents,” Dolezal admits, garnering applause from the predominantly black audience.

    However, Dolezal was quick to defend her “deception” by saying, “Sometimes how we feel is more powerful than how we’re born.” She adds, “Blackness can be defined as philosophical, cultural, biological, you know, it’s a lot of different things to a lot of different people.”

    Besides her race, Dolezal also revealed that is currently with child, although she did not mention the identity of the father. Love cleverly quipped, “So I guess the baby black, huh?”to which the co-hosts and audience members chuckled.

  • Rachel Dolezal Called “A Hero” by Rihanna

    Rachel Dolezal Called “A Hero” by Rihanna

    Rachel Dolezal is the former NAACP leader who was relieved of her duties when it was discovered she had lied about being black. In the November issue of Vanity Fair, singer Rihanna dishes about the seemingly confused woman. What she says will no doubt surprise some people.

    “I think she was a bit of a hero, because she kind of flipped on society a little bit,” Rihanna says of Rachel Dolezal. “Is it such a horrible thing that she pretended to be black? Black is a great thing, and I think she legit changed people’s perspective a bit and woke people up.”

    Some took to Twitter to question Rihanna’s defense of Rachel Dolezal.

    What’s your take on Rihanna’s sudden open defense of Rachel Dolezal? Did Dolezal “wake people up?”

    Maybe Rihanna needs to wake up a bit herself, and learn that lying isn’t an upstanding choice–and Rachel Dolezal had one.

    Perhaps Rihanna needs a new hero.

  • Randall Kerrick: NC Police Officer Charged with Manslaughter

    Around 2:30 AM Saturday, 24 year old Jonathan Ferrell approached the nearest house and started knocking on the door “viciously”. Ferrell had wrecked approximately .5 miles down the road and stopped at the nearest house to ask for help. The woman at home approached the door, expecting her husband to be returning home from work. When she saw Ferrell, the woman panicked and called police.

    When the police arrived on the scene, Ferrell ran toward them, presumably to tell them what had happened. The police officers told Ferrell to stop, and when he did not, one officer fired a taser toward Ferrell and missed. Cue Randall Kerrick. Upon his fellow officer’s failure to bring down the suspect, police officer Randall Kerrick decided now would be a good time to become a hero and fire 12 bullets at Ferrell – 10 of which struck home. Ferrell was pronounced dead at the scene.

    It took a total of 19 hours for police to investigate and hand down a sentence. Kerrick has been charged with voluntary manslaughter. Lance LaRusso, a current attorney and former police officer, says that the quick turnaround for the sentencing of a police officer is unusual: “There are a couple of reasons why police take their time. First of all, it takes time to develop things like the toxicology report to determine what happened. You have to wait until daylight to reconstruct the crime scene. You have to interview all the people involved. And the officer is given the opportunity to decompress before making a statement.”

    However, Charlotte police say that there is good reason for the quick sentencing: “The fact that Officer Kerrick discharged his weapon and that Mr. Ferrell was unarmed were some of the factors included in the decision to charge Officer Kerrick with voluntary manslaughter.” The Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department also released a statement in which they stated “The shooting of Mr. Ferrell was excessive. Our investigation has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter.”

    Despite their apparent cooperation and expediency in regards to giving Kerrick his just due, the NAACP and Ferrell’s attorney, Chris Chestnut, believe that the only reason for such diligence is due to the recent events surrounding Trayvon Martin: “Trayvon Martin was a recipe for what not to do,” stated Chestnut.

    Chestnut and the NAACP also believe that the events transpired because of the inherent racism which still exists in the United States.”Any day in this country, an African-American man can be killed for no reason by the people who are supposed to be protecting him. That’s not an anomaly in this country. They’re never given the benefit of the doubt, and that has to change,” stated the Charlotte chapter of the NAACP. Chestnut also released his own statement concerning the issue of race in this case: “The officer is white, Mr. Ferrell is black. This might be more of a reflection of where we are as a country.”

    Racism has seemed to be a hot-button issue this year, which is ironic considering this is the 50th anniversary of MLK Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. First, we had the issue concerning Trayvon Martin. We then had the issue in which Riley Cooper made some racist statements at a concert. This weekend, we had the controversy surrounding Miss America being of Indian descent. And now this atrocity. Now seems to be the time for us to all sit down and have a national discussion concerning race, but America still seems to believe that race isn’t an issue. However, we all know that the only colorblind person is Stephen Colbert.

    Image via YouTube

  • Ben Jealous Resigns as President of the NAACP

    Benjamin Todd Jealous announced on Sunday that he will be stepping down as president of the United States civil rights organization, the NAACP. He has given his resignation after serving as president of the organization for five years.

    “The NAACP has always been the largest civil rights organization in the streets, and today it is also the largest civil rights organization online, on mobile and at the ballot box too,” Jealous said in a statement. “I am proud to leave the Association financially sound, sustainable, focused, and more powerful than ever.”

    Jealous is the 17th president and CEO of the NAACP. He was appointed when he was 35-years-old in 2008. He is the youngest person to ever lead the organization, which is 104-years-old.

    Jealous and his wife, Lia, have two children, and 1-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. Everyone was curious as to why he would want to resign and if someone was pushing him to give his resignation. He answered during his announcement saying that he wanted to spend “a lot more time with my young family.” “My chair asked me when I called her, she said, ‘Well, is there someone who’s luring you away?’ “Jealous told CNN. “And I said, ‘Yes, there is. His name is Jack, and her name is Morgan.’”

    Roslyn M. Brock, the Chairman of the NAACP Board of Directors, accepted his letter of resignation this week.

    “We thank President Jealous for his time leading the Association,” stated Brock. “Under his leadership, the NAACP has built a highly competent staff that will carry our mission forward and meet the civil rights challenges of the 21st century. Our board, staff and volunteer leaders throughout the country deeply appreciate his sacrifice, and will continue to implement our game-changing goals for the next half century that include the restoration of Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, implementing Trayvon’s Law, bolstering civic engagement efforts and ensuring our community is enrolled in the Affordable Care Act exchanges.”

    Image via Twitter

  • Ben Jealous Gives Notice At NAACP

    NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous gave notice to the organization’s Board of Directors on Sunday. Jealous, who has been with the organization for five years, will carry his current position through the end of 2013. He will formally announce the move to his staff Monday morning.

    Roslyn M. Brock, Board Chairman, thanked Jealous for his leadership, “We thank President Jealous for his time leading the Association… Under his leadership, the NAACP has built a highly competent staff that will carry our mission forward and meet the civil rights challenges of the 21st century. Our board, staff and volunteer leaders throughout the country deeply appreciate his sacrifice.”

    During Jealous’ tenure in the nation’s largest civil rights organization their numbers have grown exponentially. He is credited with stabilizing a financially troubled NAACP and modernizing the organization which was accused of being out of touch with current trends.

    Speaking on his success in the organization and future plans, Jealous said, “I am proud to leave the Association financially sound, sustainable, focused, and more powerful than ever. Beginning next year, I look forward to pursuing opportunities in academia to train the next generation of leaders and, of course, spending a lot more time with my young family.” He is currently looking into possible positions at academic institutions which are close to home.

    USA TODAY interviewed Jealous who expressed a desire to spend more time with his children and wife, Lia Epperson, a civil rights lawyer. Jealous, pictured above with one-year-old son Jack in July, cites a few instances that prompted the move. His daughter, Morgan, reminded him that she had a promise he would only do the job for five years. Then, two blocks from home and anticipating a non-travel week, he learned of the death of Trayvon Martin and found himself traveling regularly down to Florida over subsequent months.

    Brock was actually informed of the decision last Wednesday, “Truly we were surprised,” she revealed. “We’re disappointed that he’s leaving at this time,” she said the NAACP understands the decision but, “we were expecting him to be with us seven years,” based on a contract that had just started.

    [Image via Ben Jealous Facebook.]