The 37-year-old leader of the Washington chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) made international headlines after her family claimed her ancestry was primarily European.
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Rachel Dolezal disguising herself as black, family says
Her mother Ruthanne told media her daughter’s ancestry was Swedish, German and Czech, with distant Native American heritage.
Dolezal, who has been chief of the Washington NAACP chapter since January 2015, has previously described her heritage as Native American and African-American.
Ms Dolezal has since taken to social media in what appears to be her private account, stating that people should respect her decision about whether she “wants to be black or white”.
SBS could not independently verify the account and acknowledges the existence of numerous parodies.
Using the hashtags #WrongSkin and #TransracialLivesMatter, she seemingly compared herself to Caitlyn Jenner in asking for understanding.
The NAACP has released a statement saying it respects Dolezal's privacy in the matter.
"One's racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership,"' the group said.
"In every corner of this country, the NAACP remains committed to securing political, educational, and economic justice for all people."
Authorities say an inquiry is underway into whether Dolezal violated city polices when she stated her racial identity.
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