Rihanna Defends Rachel Dolezal for Identifying as Black: 'I Think She Was a Bit of a Hero'

Rihanna has come out in support of Rachel Dolezal, the former NAACP chapter leader accused of lying about her race.

Rachel Dolezal Still Identifies Herself as Black, Plans to Address Controversy

“I think she was a bit of a hero, because she kind of flipped on society a little bit,” Rihanna, 27, told Vanity Fair for her November cover story.

Dolezal, 37, came under fire in June after her estranged parents, Ruthanne and Larry Dolezal, said their daughter was born white and went to extreme lengths to “disguise herself.”

“Is it such a horrible thing that she pretended to be black?” Rihanna asked in the interview. “Black is a great thing, and I think she legit changed people’s perspective a bit and woke people up.”

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