Nation's news cycle trains its eye—for the moment— on Troy, Montana

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&region=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)