What the NAACP Thinks About Rachel Dolezal

A white Montana couple say their daughter, the head of the Spokane NAACP in Washington, has been disguising herself as a black woman for years, but it appears the NAACP is still standing by Rachel Dolezal, at least for now. A statement released today by the group notes that "for 106 years, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has held a long and proud tradition of receiving support from people of all faiths, races, colors, and creeds." It then goes on to say that "one's racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership" and that the organization's Alaska-Oregon-Washington chapter "stands behind Ms. Dolezal’s advocacy record."

The statement also goes on to say that Dolezal is currently "enduring a legal issue with her family, and we respect her privacy in this matter." The statement ends with a reminder that hate language sent through the mail or on social media, "along with credible threats," is still a big problem for their chapter and across the country. Meanwhile, there's quite a bit of language of all sorts flying back and forth on Twitter in response to the #RachelDolezal, #AreYouBlack, #transracial, and #WrongSkin hashtags (that last one maybe started by a known hoaxer) dominating Twitter today, with many people speaking up to either voice their displeasure or an "it doesn't matter" attitude regarding Dolezal's alleged identity swap. (More NAACP stories.)