NEWS: Rachel Dolezal, who fabricated her racial background as a local NAACP chapter president, reportedly once sued her alma mater Howard University for racial discrimination.
Rachel Dolezal, the woman who shot to fame in June 2015 after it was alleged that she had fabricated her racial background as a local NAACP chapter president, reportedly once sued her alma mater Howard University for racial discrimination.
Dolezal's confusing backstory began to come to light around 11 June 2015, after a local reporter questioned her about inconsistencies in her background; and by the following day Dolezal was the primary topic of discussion among news sites and social media users.
On 15 June 2015, the Smoking Gun web site published an article titled "NAACP Imposter Sued School Over Race Claims," subtitled "Rachel Dolezal alleged she was victim of white discrimination." The article included scans of legal documents pertaining to a lawsuit filed by an individual named Rachel Moore (Dolezal's married name) in 2002 against historically black Howard University.
According to the Smoking Gun, Dolezal alleged that her race (caucasian) was a factor upon which she was judged and denied opportunities while studying at Howard University:
Dolezal, then known as Rachel Moore, named the university and Professor Alfred Smith as defendants in a lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C.’s Superior Court. During the pendency of the civil case, Smith was chairman of Howard’s Department of Art.According to a Court of Appeals opinion, Dolezal's lawsuit “claimed discrimination based on race, pregnancy, family responsibilities and gender.” She alleged that Smith and other school officials improperly blocked her appointment to a teaching assistant post, rejected her application for a post-graduate instructorship, and denied her scholarship aid while she was a student.
According to the site, Dolezal's suit was dismissed in February 2004, and she was ordered to pay more than $3,500 in combined court costs (purportedly related to an “obstructive and vexatious” court filing made by Dolezal or someone party to her case).