Rachel Dolezal resigned as president of the NAACP in Spokane, Washington Monday (June 15) and in an interview, says that she identifies as Black even though she was born White.
Talib Kweli tells Rolling Stone that Dolezal is an “enemy” and that she was taking up space that should have gone to a woman of color. He says that her work with the organization should not be applauded.
“Working with them doesn’t prove you’re not an asshole,” Kweli says. “They’re the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and we don’t even call ourselves colored people anymore. I saw NAACP people in Ferguson when I was down there, but I also saw that they were down with [former Los Angeles Clippers owner] Donald Sterling. Anyone can start an NAACP chapter. So I don’t think that’s the best judge of her character.”
He says that he has had White friends admit to them that they feel “Black on the inside,” but he says Dolezal went too far.
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“She took it to the next level,” he says. “When you lie, when you’re saying your adopted brother is your son, when you’re suing Howard one year for saying you’re too White, then saying people hung nooses at your door the next year – that’s crossing the line. You’re not a friend or an ally to the movement. You’re an enemy.”
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