Rachel Dolezal opens up to Vanity Fair: 'I didn't deceive anyone'
Rachel Dolezal is back in the news, with a revealing new interview with Vanity Fair.
Dolezal made headlines in June for portraying herself as an African American woman, even though she was born to white parents. She told the magazine:
"I just feel like I didn't mislead anybody; I didn't deceive anybody. If people feel misled or deceived, then sorry that they feel that way, but I believe that's more due to their definition and construct of race in their own minds than it is to my integrity or honesty, because I wouldn't say I'm African American, but I would say I'm black, and there's a difference in those terms."
She also told the magazine that her appearance is going to stay as-is, saying that it is:
"Not a costume... 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. I think the world might be—but I'm not."
Dolezal stepped down from her leadership role with the Spokane, Washington N-A-A-C-P chapter in June after her parents revealed to a local newspaper that she was born white, igniting a national discussion over what it means to be black.
Dolezal also says she's having a tough time with money, as she lost both her jobs after the media firestorm.
She resigned from her role with the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, and her part time teaching job with the Africana studies department at Eastern Washington University.
But she is earning money doing hair. She says she has appointments to do braids and weaves a few times a week. And, of course, she plans to write a book. She told Vanity Fair:
"I don't feel like I am probably going to be able to re-enter that work with the type of leadership required to make change if I don't have something like a published explanation."
The question is - will even that be good enough?
