Pop Culture

Rachel Dolezal Opens Up About Racial Identity on 'The Real,' Admits She Was "Biologically Born White"

"I identify as black," Dolezal told the 'Real' hosts.

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Complex Original

Rachel Dolezal, the former head of a Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP, admitted during an appearance on The Real that she was "biologically born white." The admission, according to Time, appears to mark the first time Dolezal has outright stated her biological race in public since stirring controversy earlier this year.

"You weren’t born black ,so when you say you are black, it makes it hard for people to understand where you’re coming from," The Real panelist Jeannie Mai told Dolezal during the discussion. "Right," responded Dolezal, "and that’s why I said, I acknowledge that I was biologically born white to white parents, but I identify as black."

Dolezal initiated a firestorm of controversy over the summer, when her parents revealed in June that Dolezal was actually a white person. Though Dolezal initially remained defiant regarding her identity, she ultimately stepped down from her position at the NAACP chapter in Spokane during the peak of the controversy.

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