January 26, 2018 Nkechi Amare Diallo, commonly known as her previous name Rachel Anne Dolezal, is an American former civil rights activist and former Africana studies instructor. She was president of the NAACP chapter in Spokane, Washington, from 2014 until June 15, 2015, when she resigned after it was revealed that she had lied about being African American. In June 2015, Dolezal came to media attention when her European American parents stated publicly that Dolezal was a white woman passing as black.