Rachel Dolezal Parents: Meet Mother Ruthanne Dolezal, and Father Lawrence Dolezal
Rachel Dolezal is a former activist and college instructor who made headlines in 2015 when she was exposed as a white woman who had been posing as a black woman for years. She had been the president of the NAACP chapter in Spokane, Washington, and had claimed to be of African-American descent.
She had also reported being a victim of several hate crimes based on her race. However, her parents, Ruthanne, and Lawrence Dolezal, came forward and revealed that Rachel was their biological daughter and that she was born white.
Who are Ruthanne and Lawrence Dolezal?
Ruthanne and Lawrence Dolezal are a white couple who live in Montana. They are of German, Czech, and Swedish origin. They got married in 1974 and had two biological children, Joshua and Rachel. Joshua is a professor of English at Central College in Iowa and Rachel was born on November 12, 1977, in Lincoln County, Montana. She had blue eyes and blonde hair as a child.
The Dolezals are devout Christians who adopted four children of color in the 1990s. They adopted three African-American children, Ezra, Esther, and Izaiah, and one Haitian child, Zach. Rachel grew close to her adopted siblings and developed an interest in black culture and history.
She also claimed that her parents were abusive and racist towards her and her siblings. She accused them of using physical violence, such as whips and glue guns, and of forcing them to work as slaves on their farm. Her parents have denied these allegations and said that they loved and cared for all their children.
| Name | Rachel Dolezal |
|---|---|
| Other names | Rachel Moore, Nkechi Amare Diallo |
| Born | November 12, 1977 |
| Occupation | Former college instructor, activist, OnlyFans model |
| Known for | Identifying as a black woman despite being born to white parents |
| Education | Belhaven University (BA), Howard University (MFA) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Joshua Dolezal (brother) |
How did Rachel Dolezal change her identity?
Rachel left her parents’ home when she was 18 and moved to Mississippi, where she attended Belhaven University, a Christian college. She graduated with a degree in art in 2002 and married Kevin Moore, a black man, in 2000.
They had a son, Franklin, in 2004 and divorced in 2005. Rachel then moved to Washington, D.C., where she enrolled in Howard University, a historically black university. She received a scholarship and a master’s degree in fine arts in 2007. She also changed her appearance, darkening her skin and styling her hair in braids, dreadlocks, and weaves. She began to identify as black and claimed that her father was an African-American man named Albert Wilkerson, who was actually a friend of hers.
Rachel Dolezal moved to Spokane, Washington, in 2012 and became involved in the local black community. She taught Africana studies at Eastern Washington University and became the president of the NAACP chapter in 2014. She also served as the chair of the Police Ombudsman Commission, a civilian oversight board for the police department.
She advocated for racial justice and civil rights and reported several incidents of harassment and discrimination based on her race. She also claimed that her brother, Joshua, who had been charged with sexual abuse of a minor, was actually her son and that her adopted brother, Izaiah, was her son as well.
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How was Rachel exposed?
Dolezal’s deception was uncovered in June 2015, when a reporter from KXLY-TV asked her if she was African-American. She hesitated and walked away from the interview. The reporter then showed her a photo of Ruthanne and Lawrence Dolezal and asked if they were her parents. She said that she did not understand the question and left.
The reporter then contacted her parents, who confirmed that Rachel was their biological daughter and that she was white. They also provided photos of Rachel as a child and as a young adult, showing her blonde hair and fair skin. They said that they had not spoken to Rachel in years and that they did not know why she had lied about her race.
Rachel Dolezal’s story went viral and sparked a national debate on race, identity, and privilege. Some people defended her and said that she had the right to self-identify as black and that she had done good work for the black community.
Others criticized her and said that she had committed fraud, cultural appropriation, and betrayal and that she had taken opportunities and resources away from real black people. Rachel resigned from her positions at the NAACP and the Police Ombudsman Commission and was fired from her teaching job at Eastern Washington University. She also faced legal troubles, as she was accused of welfare fraud and perjury. She pleaded not guilty and reached a deal to avoid trial in 2019.
What is Rachel doing now?
Rachel Dolezal has not given up on her black identity. She legally changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo, which means “gift of God” in Igbo, a language spoken in Nigeria, in 2016. She has written a memoir, titled In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World, in which she defended her choices and explained her life story. She has also appeared in a documentary, called The Rachel Divide, which followed her life after the scandal. She has said that she still identifies as black and that she does not regret anything.
Rachel has also faced difficulties in finding work and supporting herself and her children. She has said that she has been rejected from over 100 jobs and that she has been living on food stamps and donations. She has also said that she has been shunned by both the white and the black communities and that she has received threats and hate mail. She has tried to make money by selling her artwork, writing books, giving lectures, and doing hairdressing. She has also launched a line of clothing and accessories, called Full Spectrum, which features slogans such as “Melanin Spectrum” and “Trust Your Journey”.
Rachel Dolezal has said that she hopes to rebuild her life and to find acceptance and forgiveness. She has also said that she wants to continue to fight for racial justice and to educate people about race and identity. She has said that she believes that race is a social construct and that people should be free to choose their own identity. She has also said that she is not a liar, a fraud, or a con artist, but a person who has lived a complex and challenging life.
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