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Nation's news cycle trains its eye—for the
moment—
on Troy, Montana |
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June 12, 2015 |
Troy, Montana found itself projected across
national newspapers, websites, and televisions
around the country this week. The Coeur d’Alene
press, in a story written by Jeff Selle and
Maureen Dolan, called into question Spokane
NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal's claims regarding
her racial heritage. Ms. Dolezal was
raised in the Troy area, where her family still
lives.
According to the article, which can be read
here---
http://www.cdapress.com/news/local_news/article_385adfeb-76f3-5050-98b4-d4bf021c423f.html
Dolezal has made public claims that she is woman
of African-American heritage, as she has
attained something of a leadership role in the
black community of the Inland Northwest region,
serving as the leader of the Spokane chapter of
the NAACP, a former education director for the
Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur
d'Alene, and serving as a part-time professor in
the Africana Studies Program at Eastern
Washington University. Dolezal’s parents,
Ruthanne and Larry Dolezal, who live in Troy,
Montana in the same house where they lived when
Dolezal was born, refute her claim. They have
made public Rachel Dolezal’s birth certificate,
which also appears to back up her parents.
After the Coeur d’Alene Press article was
published on June 11, the article garnered
national attention, with national articles from:
CNN
(http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/12/us/washington-spokane-naacp-rachel-dolezal-identity/index.html),
USA Today
(http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/12/spokane-naacp-president-ethnicity-questions/71110110/),
The New York Times
(http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/rachel-dolezal-naacp-president-accused-of-lying-about-her-race.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0)
Many news services subsequently sent camera
crews and reporters to Troy, a town with a
population of 957 according to the U.S. Census
Bureau, to get first-hand information on the
story.
Efforts to reach the Dolezals in Troy were not
successful at this time.
The national attention to Dolezal and the
Spokane chapter of the NAACP has prompted the
NAACP to release the following statement:
“Baltimore, MD – For 106 years, the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored
People has held a long and proud tradition of
receiving support from people of all faiths,
races, colors and creeds.
"NAACP Spokane Washington Branch President
Rachel Dolezal is enduring a legal issue with
her family, and we respect her privacy in this
matter. 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. In every
corner of this country, the NAACP remains
committed to securing political, educational,
and economic justice for all people, and we
encourage Americans of all stripes to become
members and serve as leaders in our
organization.
(http://www.naacp.org/press/entry/naacp-statement-on-rachel-dolezal)
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