NAACP leader of Washington state chapter lied about being black, parents say BY JASON SILVERSTEIN An NAACP leader and prominent civil rights activist in Washington state has been pretending to be black for years, her parents told local media Thursday. Rachel Dolezal, who heads Spokane’s NAACP chapter and teaches Africana studies at Eastern Washington University, refused to directly answers any questions about her alleged racial ruse after it was reported. A KXLY reporter bluntly asked her, “Are you African-American?” After a stunned pause, she replied: "“I don’t understand the question."