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(CNN) The mother of Rachel Dolezal -- an NAACP leader in Spokane, Washington, who identifies as African-American, though her parents claim she is white -- said Friday that her daughter "has not explained to us why she is doing what she's doing and being dishonest and deceptive with her identity."

Ruthanne Dolezal said her daughter Rachel gradually began referring to herself as black around 2007 and that "she has never claimed to be biracial or African-American in our presence."

The parents last talked to their daughter "some years ago," with Ruthanne Dolezal saying "Rachel has not wanted to have contact with us."

Rachel Dolezal

The racial identity of one of the most prominent faces in Spokane, Washington's black community is under question after her parents produced a birth certificate that showed she is white.

Birth certificate

Rachel Dolezal, 37, is the head of the local chapter of the NAACP and has identified herself as African-American. But her Montana birth certificate says she was born to two Caucasian parents, according to CNN affiliate KXLY, which also showed an old family photo in its report.

A family photo from Rachel Dolezal's wedding reception on May 21, 2000.

CNN tried to reach Dolezal for comment by emailing and calling her late Thursday night, but was unsuccessful.

Identifies as African-American

Dolezal has represented herself as at least part African-American in an application for the police ombudsman commission.

And she has presented the public with a different family photograph posted to the local NAACP chapter's Facebook page. When she announced her father was coming to town for a visit, she showed herself standing next to an older African-American man.

Dolezal's public racial identity came under scrutiny on Thursday, when a reporter from KXLY held up that photo asked her a simple question.

This is how the conversation went:

"Is that your dad?"

"Yeah, that's...that's my dad."

"This man right here's your father? Right there?"

"You have a question about that?"

"Yes ma'am, I was wondering if your dad really is an African-American man."

"That's a very -- I mean, I don't know what you're implying."

"Are you African-American?"

"I don't understand the question of -- I did tell you that, yes, that's my dad. And he was unable to come in January."

"Are your parents...are they white?"

Dolezal walked away from the microphone, leaving her purse and keys, and took refuge in a nearby clothing boutique.

Career as a black woman

Dolezal has built a wide-ranging career on her racial identity.

She is not just president of her local NAACP chapter; she is also an academic expert on African-American culture andteaches many related classes at Eastern Washington University.

She represents the black community publicly and vocally, including as a spokeswoman on race-influenced police violence. On Tuesday she spoke to Al Jazeera on the topic.

She has appeared alongside Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who has filed charges against police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, a young black man.

The mayor of Spokane appointed Dolezal chairwoman of a police oversight committee to keep an eye on fairness in police work.

After the allegations of faked racial identity surfaced, Mayor David Condon and City Council President Ben Stuckart issued a statement. "We... take very seriously the concerns raised regarding the chair of the independent citizen police ombudsman commission." The city is checking to see if she has violated any policies.

Dolezal also has spoken about multiple alleged racist threats made against her, including nooses found near her home. But police never have been able to substantiate them, KXLY reported.

Black family members

Dolezal's mother, Ruthanne Dolezal, told the Spokane Spokesman-Review that after she and her husband adopted four African-American children, Rachel Dolezal began to "disguise herself."

"It's very sad that Rachel has not just been herself," Ruthanne Dolezal said. "Her effectiveness in the causes of the African-American community would have been so much more viable, and she would have been more effective, if she had just been honest with everybody," the newspaper quoted her as saying.

Rachel Dolezal brushed off the controversy surrounding her racial identity as part of a family fight over alleged abuse, the Spokesman-Review reported.

She wouldn't answer the newspaper's questions about her racial heritage directly and said she wanted to talk to local NAACP leadership first. "I feel like I owe my executive committee a conversation," she said.

"That question is not as easy as it seems," Dolezal told the Spokesman-Review. "There's a lot of complexities ... and I don't know that everyone would understand that."

Social media 'transracial'

Social media reactions varied, and some seemed to concur with Dolezal's assessment.

Her name and the term "transracial" were top trending hashtags on Twitter.

Some users floated the notion that people could cross over lines of racial identity as they do with sexual identity.

"Hmm interesting article about #racheldolezal. If she identifies as black, can she be transracial?" one user asked. Other users compared Dolezal with Caitlyn Jenner, former known as Bruce Jenner, often in a derogatory manner.

But many users, particularly African-Americans, bemoaned that switching race doesn't work like switching gender, noting that black people can't pretend to be white to avoid discrimination.

"My prob w/ #Transracial: Black folk cant decide to be white when the cops raid their pool party. But a white woman can be NAACP president," wrote hip-hop artist Lizzo.

"If #RachelDolezal can do it, so can I. I am now a white American. Give me: good credit, the ability to swim, and police NOT beating me," PrestonMitchum tweeted.

"It's not just her appropriation. It's that she claimed an oppression that wasn't hers," wrote user Charles Clymer.

**UPDATE** June 15

In the end the controversy surrounding Rachel Dolezal proved to be too much. According to various media sources she has resigned from her position as the NAACP leader in Spokane, Washington.

Dolezal posted a statement on civil rights group's Spokane Facebook page. Read it below.

Dear Executive Committee and NAACP Members,

It is a true honor to serve in the racial and social justice movement here in Spokane and across the nation. Many issues face us now that drive at the theme of urgency. Police brutality, biased curriculum in schools, economic disenfranchisement, health inequities, and a lack of pro-justice political representation are among the concerns at the forefront of the current administration of the Spokane NAACP. And yet, the dialogue has unexpectedly shifted internationally to my personal identity in the context of defining race and ethnicity.

I have waited in deference while others expressed their feelings, beliefs, confusions and even conclusions - absent the full story. I am consistently committed to empowering marginalized voices and believe that many individuals have been heard in the last hours and days that would not otherwise have had a platform to weigh in on this important discussion. Additionally, I have always deferred to the state and national NAACP leadership and offer my sincere gratitude for their unwavering support of my leadership through this unexpected firestorm.

While challenging the construct of race is at the core of evolving human consciousness, we can NOT afford to lose sight of the five Game Changers (Criminal Justice & Public Safety, Health & Healthcare, Education, Economic Sustainability, and Voting Rights & Political Representation) that affect millions, often with a life or death outcome. The movement is larger than a moment in time or a single person's story, and I hope that everyone offers their robust support of the Journey for Justice campaign that the NAACP launches today!

I am delighted that so many organizations and individuals have supported and collaborated with the Spokane NAACP under my leadership to grow this branch into one of the healthiest in the nation in 5 short months. In the eye of this current storm, I can see that a separation of family and organizational outcomes is in the best interest of the NAACP.

It is with complete allegiance to the cause of racial and social justice and the NAACP that I step aside from the Presidency and pass the baton to my Vice President, Naima Quarles-Burnley. It is my hope that by securing a beautiful office for the organization in the heart of downtown, bringing the local branch into financial compliance, catalyzing committees to do strategic work in the five Game Changer issues, launching community forums, putting the membership on a fast climb, and helping many individuals find the legal, financial and practical support needed to fight race-based discrimination, I have positioned the Spokane NAACP to buttress this transition.

Please know I will never stop fighting for human rights and will do everything in my power to help and assist, whether it means stepping up or stepping down, because this is not about me. It's about justice. This is not me quitting; this is a continuum. It's about moving the cause of human rights and the Black Liberation Movement along the continuum from Resistance to Chattel Slavery to Abolition to Defiance of Jim Crow to the building of Black Wall Street to the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement to the ‪#‎BlackLivesMatter‬ movement and into a future of self-determination and empowerment.

With much love and a commitment to always fight for what is right and good in this world,

Rachel Dolezal

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