Texas Woman Discovers She's White After 70 Years
By Marvin Hurst, Jun. 23, 2015, USA Today
CONVERSE, Texas — A well-kept family secret about racial identity has given a Texas woman a unique perspective on the uproar surrounding Rachel Dolezal.
The mere mention of Dolezal's name sets Verda Byrd off like a stick of dynamite.
"She lied about her race," Byrd said. "I didn't lie because I didn't know."
Dolezal's publicized choice to identify herself as black has been under scrutiny. The former NAACP president in Spokane, Wash., is accused of deceiving the public by insisting she was not only of black descent but black herself.
Byrd considers herself African American.
"I'm comfortable with being a black woman," she said.
Her preference in race comes through an incredible set of circumstances. Byrd was born to Earl and Daisy Beagle in September 1942. Her biological parents, whom she describes as white transients, named her Jeanette.
Her father walked out on his family leaving her mother with 10 children to care for. After Daisy Beagle fell 30 feet to the ground in a trolley accident, the state of Missouri took her children away from her because she could not care for them.
CONVERSE, Texas — A well-kept family secret about racial identity has given a Texas woman a unique perspective on the uproar surrounding Rachel Dolezal.
The mere mention of Dolezal's name sets Verda Byrd off like a stick of dynamite.
"She lied about her race," Byrd said. "I didn't lie because I didn't know."
Dolezal's publicized choice to identify herself as black has been under scrutiny. The former NAACP president in Spokane, Wash., is accused of deceiving the public by insisting she was not only of black descent but black herself.
Byrd considers herself African American.
"I'm comfortable with being a black woman," she said.
Her preference in race comes through an incredible set of circumstances. Byrd was born to Earl and Daisy Beagle in September 1942. Her biological parents, whom she describes as white transients, named her Jeanette.
Her father walked out on his family leaving her mother with 10 children to care for. After Daisy Beagle fell 30 feet to the ground in a trolley accident, the state of Missouri took her children away from her because she could not care for them.
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