Friday, March 29, 2024

New Spokane NAACP President Wants to Repair Rachel Dolezal Damage

NAIMA_QUARLES-BURNLEY

*Naima Quarles-Burnley (pictured), the new president of the Spokane NAACP, says she wants to focus on repairing the damage from the recent Rachel Dolezal controversy.

Quarles-Burnley replaced Dolezal in June after it was discovered she misled her constituents about her racial identity. Dolezal, who is white, portrays herself as an African-American woman.

“I feel that people of all races can be allies and advocates,” Quarles-Burnley told The Spokesman Review . “But you can’t portray that you have lived the experience of a particular race that you aren’t part of.”

While Spokane’s new president was not prepared for the position, having recently undergone double knee replacement surgery, (and caring for her 13-year-old son, who has Down syndrome), she said her hope is to repair the tarnished reputation of the Spokane NAACP. The chapter is still recovering from the Dolezal drama.

“I saw in Rachel maybe my younger self,” Quarles-Burnley said. “Passionate, involved, all-in for social justice. Sometimes sacrificing self-care, sometimes sacrificing family, sometimes not wanting to compromise, or often looking for ways to demonstrate as opposed to discuss.”

The executive committee has been gutted by a series of departures, and questions remain about the viability and integrity of the chapter.

“I think it has hurt our organization because people are now questioning our integrity,” Naima said. “Not just the integrity of the former president, but the integrity of the organization a whole.”

She said the first order of business is filling positions on the executive committee. Then she wants to continue to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in the African-American community. She also hopes to build on the focus and energy created by the Dolezal scandal.

“In Spokane I see the diverse races joining together for the cause of justice,” she said. “I’m really encouraged by that.”

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