Rachel Dolezal

Rachel Dolezal, born Rachel Anne Dolezal on November 12, 1977, in Lincoln County, Montana, to white parents, later became known as Nkechi Amare Diallo. She pursued her artistic and academic interests early, receiving a bachelor’s degree from Belhaven University in 2000 and a Master of Fine Arts, summa cum laude, from Howard University in 2002. Her thesis at Howard involved a series of paintings from the perspective of a black man. She married Kevin Moore, a black man, in 2000, and they divorced in 2004. In 2010, she gained legal guardianship of her younger brother, Izaiah Dolezal.

Her career path included working as an education director at the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, until 2010, and also as a part-time art instructor at North Idaho College from 2005 to 2013. Additionally, she was a part-time instructor at Eastern Washington University from 2007 to 2015, teaching courses in Africana Education. In 2014, Dolezal was elected president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, a role she held until her resignation in June 2015 amidst public scrutiny regarding her racial identity. She also served as chair of the Police Ombudsman Commission in Spokane, but was removed in June 2015 due to alleged misconduct.

Following the controversies, Dolezal ventured into other work, including hair styling specializing in weaves and braids, and selling her artwork. In 2017, she released a memoir titled “In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World.” In February 2024, she was terminated from a teaching position in Arizona for violating social media policy due to her OnlyFans content. She legally changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo in October 2016 to better navigate employment opportunities, though she continues to use Rachel Dolezal as her public persona. In March 2019, she entered a diversion agreement to repay welfare benefits and complete community service to avoid trial on welfare fraud charges.