National
Texas Woman Discovers She’s White After 70 Years
Verda Byrd, center, with her adoptive parents. Byrd did not know she was born white. She was raised as a black girl. (Byrd family photograph via KENS-TV, San Antonio)
CONVERSE, Texas (USA Today) — 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,” said Byrd. “I didn’t lie because I didn’t know.”
Dolezal’s much 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.
