By Associated Press - Thursday, December 29, 2016

CARY, N.C. (AP) - Former Washington state NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal, who was criticized last year for passing herself off as black, will no longer speak at a North Carolina Martin Luther King Day celebration next month.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reports (https://bit.ly/2iFDsCg ) Dolezal had been scheduled to participate in a panel discussion on racial identity and race relations at the MLK Dreamfest Celebration in Cary, North Carolina. The theme of this year’s event is “Healing Race Relations through Conversation and Participation.”

Cary spokesman Doug McRainey said Wednesday that the company who had booked Dolezal decided to remove her from the panel following criticism and concern from community members about her inclusion in the diversity summit.

Dolezal has acknowledged that she is “Caucasian biologically,” but says she identifies as black.

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Information from: The News & Observer, https://www.newsobserver.com

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