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A Spokane NAACP officer and Africana Studies professor named Rachel Dolezal has been pretending to be black for nearly a decade, her avowedly Caucasian parents say. It's an unusual story, but not one without precedent. On a number of occasions in American history, dating to before the Civil War, white individuals have claimed or implied that they were black:

Dave Wilson. Wilson, described in this local news story as a "gleeful political troublemaker" and anti-gay activist, ran for a spot on the Houston Community College board in a predominately black district in 2013. His campaign materials featured stock photos of black individuals emblazoned with the words "Please vote for our friend and neighbor Dave Wilson." From the same local news story, under the headline "White guy wins after leading voters to believe he's black":

One of his mailers said he was Endorsed by Ron Wilson, which longtime Houston voters might easily interpret as a statement of support from a former state representative of the same name who's also African-American. Fine print beneath the headline says Ron Wilson and Dave Wilson are cousins, a reference to one of Wilson's relatives living in Iowa.

Wilson proudly announced his deception after winning the election—and is serving his term.