A white racial justice activist in Indiana admits to pretending to be Black through 'deception and lies'

• A well known racial justice activist in Indiana admitted to pretending to be a Black person.
• Black Indy Live first reported that "Satchuel Cole" who formerly went by the name of Jennifer Benton was born to parents who were white based on legal documents.
• "My deception and lies have hurt those I care most about. I have taken up space as a Black person while knowing I am white. I have used Blackness when it was not mine to use," the activist posted on social media.

A prominent racial justice activist in Indianapolis, Indiana pretended to be a Black person when legal documents show they are actually white.

Satchuel Cole, who has pretended to be Black, worked with organizations such as Indy10 Black Lives Matter and Indy SURJ as a "community leader" in Indiana, IndyStar reported.

However, BlackIndyLive.com first reported that Cole has been misrepresenting her racial identity and is actually white. Cole was born to parents Rachel Irick and John Oliver Benton who both indicated their race as white according to legal documents obtained by BlackIndyLive.com. IndyStar reported that Cole legally changed their name from Jennifer Lynn Benton to Satchuel Paigelyn Cole ten years ago. Since then, Cole self-identified as a Black person, according to BlackIndyLive.com.

A day after the expose was published, Cole responded through a public Facebook post, saying her "deception and lies have hurt those I care most about."

"I have taken up space as a Black person while knowing I am white. I have used Blackness when it was not mine to use. I have asked for support and energy as a Black person," Cole wrote.

Post by Satch Paige.

Cole did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Earlier this month, a George Washington University professor Jessica Krug admitted to lying about her race and pretending to be Black throughout her career when she was a white woman from Kansas.

In 2015, Rachel Dolezal, the president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP who frequently spoke of her Black identity, was revelaed to be a white person with Czech, Swedish, and German descent. She eventually stepped down from her position.

• Read more:
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• The civil-rights leader accused of pretending to be black just resigned
• The NAACP stands behind one of its leaders accused of 'pretending' to be black
• 'We do have two systems of justice in America:' Kamala Harris slams Trump administration's denials of systemic racism