Before Rachel Dolezal (aka Nkechi Amare Diallo) became a punchline for late-night talk shows, she faced down six neo-Nazis near the western entrance to downtown Coeur d’Alene.

At the time, she was no longer working for Coeur d’Alene’s Human Rights Education Institute. But she felt compelled to do something when the racists appeared on Northwest Boulevard to protest the annual MLK Jr. celebration for fifth-graders at North Idaho College.

On Jan. 22, 2012, Huckleberries told of her lonely, brave vigil. The neo-Nazis called Rachel out by name as she stood across the street silently counterprotesting. Rachel was criticized at the time for confronting rather than ignoring the racists.

Rachel told Huckleberries afterward that protest was part of MLK’s peaceful resistance. Said she: “The entire movement was based on doing something rather than sitting by, ignoring things and letting the gravity of human depravity run its course with ongoing Black Codes and Jim Crow laws. The sit-ins were active, not passive. The marches were active, not passive. The voter-registration was active, not passive.”

Say what you want about Rachel. But she’s active, not passive/DFO, Monday Huckleberries. More here.

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