SPOKANE, Wash - 
 
 The chair of the NAACP Spokane executive committee is calling into question a decision by Rachel Dolezal to cancel a planned meeting Monday night. Dolezal was supposed to address the membership about her recent scandal, but announced on Facebook Sunday afternoon that the meeting was cancelled. 
 
 Below is the letter sent by Lawrence Burnley, 
 
 Rachel, 
 
 I just saw your email to cancel/postpone tomorrow's general meeting. I'm puzzled by your decision to arbitrarily cancel/postpone the meeting without input from the executive committee which is scheduled to meet today. The Association’s by-laws provides specific guidelines concerning monthly general/branch meetings. Article V, Section 1 states, “Regular meetings shall be held on a fix day or date each month.” That date, as agreed upon by the executive committee, is the third Monday of each month which is tomorrow. I don't see any language in the by-laws that empowers you, or any one member, to arbitrarily cancel/postpone tomorrow's meeting. Even if such provision is made in the by-laws, it seems to me that it would be prudent to allow for or invite your executive committee to weigh in on a decision such as this. Furthermore, moments ago CNN quoted the language of your email to cancel/postpone tomorrow’s meeting with a signature “Spokane NAACP Chapter.” This is misleading as it conveys a decision has been made by “the chapter” or the executive committee of the chapter which not the case. I am deeply concerned with this decision and call on the executive committee to address this among other related issues and concerns at today’s meeting. 
 
 
 
 Other members of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP plan to protest the meeting, calling Dolezal's actions into question and demanding an explanation. They plan to protest whether the meeting takes place or not. 
 
 
 
 Still other members are encouraging the meeting to continue, Justin Pimsanguan wrote this email. 
 
 "Dear members, 
 
 
 
 I can only speak for myself, but I will be there early, and I hope to see others as well. Other community members will be outside seeking answers, and some chapter members will want to proceed with the meeting even if Ms. Dolezol chooses not to show up. 
 
 
 
 Although many members including myself are anxiously waiting for an explanation and apology from President Dolezol, I would hope that the potential meeting will address other agenda items including updates from the committees and any progress that has been made since last month. It feels to me (in my opinion) that our meeting time should be for the chapter to discuss relevant issues pertaining to the advancement of colored people, and not be completely consumed by the strange information surfacing about our current president. 
 
 
 
 Perhaps she should address the chapter, the community and the nation on her own time. People will be arriving early, giving her the opportunity if she chooses to demonstrate integrity by responding to the community. 
 
 
 
 As far as canceling the meeting goes, I must agree with chairman Burnley that it is not her sole decision to make. Delaying the inevitable any further especially without approval from the executive board may add insult to injury. 
 
 
 
 Canceling our Spokane chapters meeting because of Ms. Dolezol's personal issues hardly makes sense. We still have chapter business to conduct and canceling was never discussed before her short email. 
 
 
 
 Although Ms. Dolezol has a "great record of advocacy" and has raised awareness bringing attention to the civil rights movement, it is overwhelmingly clear that the nation is laughing at us, causing great embarrassment to Spokane, our NAACP chapter and the efforts we have made for social justice. 
 
 
 
 I think about the deaths of Antonio Zambrano Montes, Lorenzo Hayes, Eric Garner, Michael Brown and the countless others that have lost there lives after questionable circumstances, and I have a great concern that the recent rediculous drama around Rachel will minimize our efforts and cause more damage than the justice we have all fought so hard for. 
 
 I hope to see you all there. 
 
 I have taken a stance, and I don't see her explanation changing my opinion. I am not discouraging anyone from hearing her out, but I would like you all to take a good look at this petition. 
 
 Thank you for reading. 
 
 
 
 Best regards, 
 
 Justin Pimsanguan" 
 
 However, Rachel emailed a response obtained by KXLY 4 News. It reads: 
 
 "Dear Dr. Burnley, 
 
 Thank you for voicing your concerns about the meeting being canceled prior to the Executive Committee convening. I completely concur with you that a democratic process is the best route under most circumstances. I believe my leadership as President of the Spokane NAACP has proven that I am committed to a team-driven philosophy. However, the email I sent earlier (yes it was from me and not a hacked message as has happened a couple times now) reflected a directive from the national NAACP that left me no choice. As much as I laud teamwork, I also respect protocol. Under the State Area Conference and the National President, we exist as a branch of the NAACP. In order to not risk the branch of the NAACP in Spokane (which has existed since 1919) from being sanctioned or shut down, and out of ultimate respect for the person and position of our AOW and national Presidents, I sent the email announcing the meeting was postponed. I regret that I was not left with enough time to inform each Executive Committee member in advance of this announcement and am truly sorry for any grief or misunderstanding that was caused. 
 
 As we move forward to continue the work of the NAACP and advance racial and social justice in Spokane, please know that I am here to be a help, never a liability, to the organization and the Movement. This is a high-risk, low-trust environment we find ourselves thrust into, and I certainly don't intend to raise the risks or lower the trust. Thank you for your concern and understanding. 
 
 Yours Truly, 
 
 Rachel 
 
 R. Dolezal" ||||| 
 
 Comedian Dave Chappelle takes a selfie with the Duke Ellington School for the Arts seniors at their graduation at the George Washington University Lisner Auditorium on June 14. Chappelle is an alumnus of the high school and gave the commencement address. (Erin Schaff for The Washington Post) 
 
 Anyone who remembers great comedy from 2003-2006 remembers “Chappelle’s Show,” Dave Chappelle’s eponymous sketch program that aired for just over two glorious seasons on Comedy Central. 
 
 One of his most memorable conceits was the racial draft, in which various groups selected celebrities (usually multi-ethnic) before they could get snatched up — for example, the black delegation used their first pick on Tiger Woods, while the Latinos selected Elian Gonzalez “before the white people try to adopt him as one of their own.” 
 
 So where would Rachel Dolezal go? 
 
 “I think black,” Chappelle said Sunday, referring to the Spokane, Wash., NAACP president who last week was outed by her own parents as a white woman who had been masquerading as black for 10 years. “We would take her all day, right?” 
 
 1 of 20 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Dave Chappelle through the years View Photos A look at the career of comedian and actor Dave Chappelle. Caption A look at the career of comedian and actor Dave Chappelle. June 14, 2015 Chappelle sits backstage after his commencement speech for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts at the George Washington University Lisner Auditorium in D.C. He is an alumnus of the high school. Erin Schaff/For The Washington Post Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 Chappelle, 41, was in town to deliver the commencement address to this year’s graduating class of his alma mater, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. In explaining why artists are important to contextualizing the world, he cited Dolezal. 
 
 “The world’s become ridiculous,” he told the awestruck grads at George Washington University’s Lisner auditorium. “There’s a white lady posing as a black lady. There is not one thing that woman accomplished that she couldn’t have done as a white woman. There’s no reason! She just needed the braids! I don’t know what she was doing.” 
 
 [More from Dave Chappelle: The comedian talks Hannibal Buress, Bill Cosby and the PC police] 
 
 Despite the mention in his speech, backstage and no longer held to the constraints of a 15-minute time slot, Chappelle revealed why he would wait a while before he incorporated any Dolezal jokes into his act, if he decides to do so at all. 
 
 “The thing that the media’s gotta be real careful about, that they’re kind of overlooking, is the emotional content of what she means,” Chappelle said thoughtfully, between drags of American Spirit cigarettes. “There’s something that’s very nuanced where she’s highlighting the difference between personal feeling and what’s construct as far as racism is concerned. I don’t know what her agenda is, but there’s an emotional context for black people when they see her and white people when they see her. There’s a lot of feelings that are going to come out behind what’s happening with this lady. 
 
 “And she’s just a person, no matter how we feel about her.” Yes, the man who came up with the idea of Clayton Bigsby, a blind black Klansman (who doesn’t know he’s black), was reserved when it came to Dolezal. 
 
 “I’m probably not going to do any jokes about her or any references to her for awhile ’cause that’s going to be a lot of comedians doing a lot. And I’m sure her rebuttal will be illuminating. Like, once she’s had time to process it and kind of get her wind back and get her message together.” 
 
 Even though Sunday’s address marked a warm homecoming for Chappelle, complete with standing ovations as he entered and exited the stage, the comedian said it was “nerve-wracking” to address the students. He was clearly humbled by the honor. Chappelle graduated, “barely,” he said, in 1991. 
 
 “It seems like just yesterday, when they announced my name to walk across the stage, it was like I had won a prize,” Chappelle told the crowd. “It didn’t feel like something I had earned. And then — I’ll never forget — I opened up the little book and there was no diploma in it.” 
 
 Chappelle asked why. 
 
 “They were like, ‘You owe books, man.'” 
 
 Chappelle recounted the time his algebra teacher told the students they would need to pay close attention because they would use the information for the rest of their lives. 
 
 “I have never needed a single algebraic equation,” Chappelle said. He paused. “And I have made millions of dollars. 
 
 “The world’s a changing place. Turns out, you don’t need to be smart because the Internet. Most of the things you need to know — somebody’s already thought about them.” 
 
 Chappelle also drew huge laughs when he shot back with his own version of events after he was booed in Detroit earlier this year on his comeback tour. 
 
 “Here’s the thing,” he said. “They said I got booed off stage on TMZ. I got booed, but I didn’t leave. I was contracted to do an hour and that’s exactly what I did. And then a few people got mad and said, ‘we want our money back!’ And I said heeell no. I’m Evel Knievel. I get paid for the attempt.” 
 
 He started sneaking into comedy clubs when he was 14. His audition for Ellington wasn’t his best work. The night before his audition, he went to a bookstore and asked for a monologue. “Any monologue,” he said. “Just give me something.” 
 
 Dave Chappelle sits backstage after his speech at the Duke Ellington School for the Arts graduation. (Erin Schaff for The Washington Post) 
 
 He tried, unsuccessfully, to memorize five minutes of Mark Twain and the next day, “it was terrible. I kept forgetting the lines.” Finally, a teacher asked Chappelle why he wanted to act. 
 
 “I told them, ‘I don’t!” Big laugh from the crowd. “I hang around comedy clubs and a comedian told me if I wanted to be a successful comedian, I should learn how to act. So, that’s why I’m here.” 
 
 It was the first time during the entire process that the teachers smiled. And it was enough. He was in. And 24 years later, he was back, a hometown boy who made good. 
 
 In those years, Chappelle learned some things. And one of the most valuable lessons, which he gleaned from another comedian, was that he didn’t have to be constantly funny as long as he was always interesting. 
 
 “Most comedians gauge success solely on laughter,” Chappelle said backstage. “But basically, he put me on to the idea that it’s other metrics besides laughter to gauge whether the show is going well. A guy who only thinks about laughs is like having a 64-[crayon] Crayola box but only using about 13 colors.” 
 
 So if laughs aren’t the metric, what is? 
 
 “Well,” Chappelle said, “I’m not going to give you the secret recipe, but I’ll tell you this: I have done, on many occasions, shows that have gone as long as six hours. Nobody left. They weren’t uproariously laughing the entire six hours, but I was interesting and they were fine with that.” 
 
 At its height, before TiVo and other methods of delayed consumption became ubiquitous, “Chappelle’s Show” was appointment television. Sketches such as the racial draft and Clayton Bigsby still hold up as prescient social commentary. Limited to just over two seasons, it became a part of valued pop culture ephemera after Chappelle famously walked away from a $50 million deal with Comedy Central, then jetted off to South Africa and disappeared. 
 
 [Dave Chappelle gets real: Does he regret walking away from millions of dollars?] 
 
 The years that followed weren’t necessarily the kindest. Everyone wondered if Chappelle had lost his mind. When he started doing the late-night circuit to promote shows at Radio City Music Hall last year, Chappelle had to address what everyone was wondering: What kind of man walks away from $50 million? He told David Letterman he had $10 million in the bank, and that the difference between a life with $10 million and a life with $50 million was “minuscule.” 
 
 In April, the industry site Comedy Hype sent Chappelle fans into a tizzy when it deduced that he was taping footage for a comedy special during a tour stop in Austin. 
 
 [Could it be? A new comedy special from Dave Chappelle?] 
 
 Chappelle wouldn’t confirm or deny whether a special was forthcoming, just that he had in fact been taping. 
 
 “I don’t know if I’m going to put it out or not,” Chappelle said. “There’s a few things I filmed I’ve been sitting on. … In an hour on television, it’s hard to encompass everything you’re doing in a particular time in your profession. You’ve got to look at it as a snapshot of a much-larger picture. It’s like taking a class picture. You just want to die when it’s over.” 
 
 So, after all that’s happened, is he happier? 
 
 “I’m a more mature version of happy,” Chappelle said, contemplative again. “When I was making the show, I was very happy. It was a very difficult show. It was very exciting, it was fun, but I was happy to do it. … But life is like the Crayola box I told you about. I use more crayons now and I have a much rounder, happier experience, a fuller experience, a more interesting experience just for doing it. And I know myself and my preferences better than I did when I was a little younger. 
 
 “I’m happier in the way a guy gets happier when he starts to mature,” the comedian said. “It doesn’t make things easier, but I’m so much better at handling them.” 
 
 1 of 8 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Rachel Dolezal resigns as president of NAACP Spokane chapter View Photos The civil rights activist in Washington state who came under fire for her racial identity said she was stepping down. Caption The civil rights activist in Washington state who came under fire for her racial identity said she was stepping down. June 16, 2015 Washington state civil rights advocate Rachel Dolezal appears on the NBC News "TODAY" show in New York. Anthony Quintano/Reuters/Today Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 Correction: In his quotes about Rachel Dolezal, Chappelle was mistakenly heard as saying “context” instead of “content.” The article has been updated. ||||| Rachel Dolezal notified Spokane NAACP members today that a meeting scheduled to take place Monday has been postponed. The meeting was to have allowed Dolezal, the organization’s president, to address the growing controversy over the disclosure that she has falsely been portraying herself as black for years. 
 
 The short message said, “Due to the need to continue discussion with regional and national NAACP leaders, tomorrow’s meeting is postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date. We appreciate your patience and understanding at this time.” 
 
 About an hour later, board member Lawrence Burnley emailed Dolezal and NAACP members to say that he doesn’t believe Dolezal has the authority to postpone the meeting. 
 
 “I don’t see any language in the by-laws that empowers you, or any one member, to arbitrarily cancel/postpone tomorrow’s meeting,” wrote Burnley, chairman of the chapter’s executive committee. 
 
 Burnley notes that the executive committee is scheduled to meet today. 
 
 “I’m puzzled by your decision to arbitrarily cancel/postpone the meeting without input from the executive committee which is scheduled to meet today,” he wrote. “…It seems to me that it would be prudent to allow for or invite your executive committee to weigh in on a decision such as this.” 
 
 Another NAACP member said Sunday that Monday’s meeting will go on as scheduled. That hadn’t been publicly announced yet. 
 
 Dolezal said in a prepared statement late Friday that she would address the controversy at the Monday meeting, and that both she and the executive committee would make statements. 
 
 “I have discussed the situation, including personal matters, with the Executive Committee,” she said. “I support their decision to wait until Monday to make a statement.” 
 
 Dolezal has given only brief interviews since her family disclosed last week that she is not black. 
 
 She was elected president of the local NAACP chapter about six months ago. Dolezal also teaches at Eastern Washington University and is chairwoman of the city of Spokane’s police ombudsman commission. 
 
 On Friday the national office of the NAACP issued a statement supporting Dolezal: “One’s racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership,” wrote Michelle Nealy, a spokeswoman for the national chapter in Baltimore, Maryland. 
 
 Nealy also said, “NAACP Spokane Washington Branch President Rachel Dolezal is enduring a legal issue with her family, and we respect her privacy in this matter.” 
 
 Freda Gandy, executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center in Spokane, said today she is angry the NAACP is backing Dolezal, and that Dolezal’s actions are inexcusable. 
 
 “Ethically I don’t really know how they can say she can be an effective leader when she has lied to an entire community,” Gandy said in an interview with The Spokesman-Review. 
 
 She also said she’s angry that only dues-paying NAACP members will be allowed to ask questions about the controversy at the general membership meeting. 
 
 “The NAACP, in my opinion, feels like she only needs to answer to them,” Gandy said. “She forfeited that right when she became a community leader. That means she answers to all of us, me and you.” 
 
 Gandy said she doesn’t know Dolezal well but did book her as one of the speakers for this year’s Martin Luther King Day parade and service. Gandy has worked for the MLK Family Outreach Center for 16 years. Prior to Dolezal becoming president of the local NAACP chapter, Gandy said she didn’t know Dolezal or her work. 
 
 This story is developing and will be updated. ||||| 1 of 8 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Rachel Dolezal resigns as president of NAACP Spokane chapter View Photos The civil rights activist in Washington state who came under fire for her racial identity said she was stepping down. Caption The civil rights activist in Washington state who came under fire for her racial identity said she was stepping down. June 16, 2015 Washington state civil rights advocate Rachel Dolezal appears on the NBC News "TODAY" show in New York. Anthony Quintano/Reuters/Today Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 A public meeting at which Rachel Dolezal and the Spokane NAACP were expected to address reports that Dolezal, the group’s president, is white has been canceled at her request. 
 
 On Saturday, the Spokane NAACP seemed ready for Monday’s monthly meeting. 
 
 “We look forward to seeing everyone at the Monthly Membership Meeting Monday, June 15th at 7pm,” the organization posted on Facebook. “Location 35 W Main St. Thank you for your support of the NAACP and our Spokane community.” 
 
 But facing fallout from the controversy — in which Dolezal is accused of hiding her Caucasian heritage — Dolezal postponed the meeting, according to the Spokane Spokesman-Review. 
 
 [‘Are you an African American?’ Why an NAACP official isn’t saying.] 
 
 “Due to the need to continue discussion with regional and national NAACP leaders, tomorrow’s meeting is postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date,” the organization posted on Facebook. (The Spokesman-Review attributed the message to Dolezal.) “We appreciate your patience and understanding at this time.” 
 
 Last week, the Spokane NAACP had posted a message supportive of Dolezal. 
 
 “NAACP Spokane Washington Branch President Rachel Dolezal is enduring a legal issue with her family, and we respect her privacy in this matter,” the organization said in a statement. “One’s racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership. The NAACP Alaska-Oregon-Washington State Conference stands behind Ms. Dolezal’s advocacy record.” 
 
 But after Monday’s meeting was canceled, Lawrence Burnley, the chapter’s executive committee chairman, criticized the decision to postpone the meeting. 
 
 “I don’t see any language in the by-laws that empowers you, or any one member, to arbitrarily cancel/postpone tomorrow’s meeting,” Burnley wrote in an e-mail reported by the Spokesman-Review. “… It seems to me that it would be prudent to allow for or invite your executive committee to weigh in on a decision such as this.” 
 
 Dolezal did not return requests for comment. Reached for comment, Burnley offered no additional information. 
 
 “I am not interested in making any other comments regarding this situation at this time,” he wrote in an e-mail to The Washington Post. “Thank you!” 
 
 Spokane NAACP President Rachel Dolezal speaks at a 2015 anti-racism rally outside City Hall. (OUTSIDEmedia) 
 
 Dolezal, a Howard University graduate and a part-time professor in the Africana studies program at Eastern Washington University, became the center of a national debate about race after a white Montana couple stepped forward to claim she is their daughter. The claims were backed-up by two of Dolezal’s adopted siblings, who said Dolezal obtained custody of another adopted sibling after alleging sexual abuse. Dolezal says that child, who is African American, is her son. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that a police investigation into hate mail allegedly sent to Dolezal has been dropped. According to the AP, Dolezal claimed to have received the mail at the organization’s post office box, but the envelopes reportedly had no time stamp or bar code. Postal officials said only someone with a key would have been able to place items in the box. 
 
 The city of Spokane is also investigating whether Dolezal misidentified her race in an application to the Office of Police Ombudsman Commission, on which she serves. Dolezal said she had several ethnic origins on the application, including white, black and American Indian. 
 
 And the Spokesman-Review reports that Dolezal is being investigated for her actions on the police commission unrelated to her claims about her race. The paper quoted a “source close to Spokane city hall” but provided no details on the nature of the investigation. 
 
 Over the weekend, Dolezal also become the target of a MoveOn petition titled “It’s not about race, It’s about integrity!” 
 
 “We will not make official comments on the validity of allegations against Spokane’s NAACP President,” the petition read. “However, until the investigation is complete and her issues are resolved we recommend a leave of absence. We do not feel that she is in a position to properly reflect the values of our communities.” 
 
 Correction: An earlier version of this post mistakenly referred to the Spokane Spokesman-Review as the “Spokane Statesman-Review.”
– A post yesterday on the Spokane NAACP's Facebook page indicated that the meeting between beleaguered president Rachel Dolezal and NAACP board members had been postponed. But some of those members are now saying Dolezal doesn't have the authority to put off said meeting. The Spokesman-Review reports that in an email sent to Dolezal and other NAACP members, Lawrence Burnley, chair of the group's executive committee, wrote, "I don't see any language in the by-laws that empowers you, or any one member, to arbitrarily cancel/postpone [Monday's] meeting." When the Washington Post reached out to Burnley via email, he replied, "I am not interested in making any other comments regarding this situation at this time. Thank you!" Another board member, Justin Pimsanguan, had even harsher words, saying in an email the meeting should go on whether or not Dolezal shows up, because the NAACP still has other work, per KXLY. "Although many members including myself are anxiously waiting for an explanation and apology from President Dolezol [sic] … our meeting time should be for the chapter to discuss relevant issues pertaining to the advancement of colored people, and not be completely consumed by the strange information surfacing about our current president," he writes. He also mentions Dolezal should "address the chapter, the community and the nation on her own time," laments how "the nation is laughing at us," and calls attention to a MoveOn.org petition calling for Dolezal to take a leave of absence. Meanwhile, comedian Dave Chappelle tells the Post he won't joke about Dolezal right now because "a lot of comedians" will be doing it, and he thinks "her rebuttal will be illuminating."