NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal had choice words Friday for those questioning her ethnicity: “I don’t give two s**ts about what you think.”
For nearly a decade, Dolezal, who heads the NAACP chapter in Spokane, Washington, has claimed to be African-American. However, her parents, who appeared on HuffPostLive Friday, have revealed that she is white.
In an interview with CBS affiliate KREM 2 News on Friday, Dolezal maintained she is black.
“Yes, I do consider myself to be black and that’s because … you know, that’s how I identify," she told the station.
“I actually don’t like the term ‘African American.’ I prefer the term ‘black,’” she said.
Dolezal said she has nothing to say to critics outraged by her racial identification. She also said any concerns people may have about misrepresentation of her race is something she’d rather discuss only with the black community.
“It’s more important for me to clarify that with the black community and my executive board than it is to explain it to a community that I, quite frankly, don’t think really understands the definitions of race and ethnicity,” she said.
Dolezal encouraged critics to “maybe think about W.E.B Du Bois that said race is usually biological, always cultural.”
Dolezal chairs a police oversight commission that monitors the fairness of investigations. The police department said Friday that all cases involving her have been suspended.
Watch Dolezal's response above.