NAACP leader's parents claim she's lying about being black

A prominent NAACP activist in Washington state is being questioned after her parents told the media she's been lying about being black.

Rachel Dolezal, 37, has been the president of the NAACP in Spokane since January.

She's also a part-time professor of Africana studies at Eastern Washington University.

Her family, who lives in Montana, recently told local media outlets that she's not black at all — but Czech, Swedish and German.

"I think she's told herself as well as she's told others this erroneous identity of hers enough that by now she may believe it more than she believes the truth."

Dolezal says she's biracial and city job applications show that she's checked white, black and American Indian.

She's even identified a different man as her father on the NAACP's Facebook page.

"Ma'am, I was wondering if your dad really is an African-American man."

"I don't know what you're implying."

Her mother told The Spokesman-Review that Dolezal, quote, "began to 'disguise herself' in 2006 or 2007, after the family had adopted four African-American children."

"It's very sad that Rachel has not just been herself. Her effectiveness in the causes of the African-American community would have been so much more viable, and she would have been more effective if she had just been honest with everybody."

In response to her parents' allegations, Dolezal told the Review that the issue is "not as easy as it seems. There are a lot of complexities ... and I don't know that everyone would understand that."

City officials said in a statement that they are investigating to determine if any city policies related to volunteer boards and commissions have been violated.