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Rachel Dolezal says she is black and felt that way from age of five – Metro US

Rachel Dolezal says she is black and felt that way from age of five

From early on in life, Rachel Dolezal said on Tuesday, she has been drawn to African-American culture and identified as black.

Even at the age of 5, Dolezal told NBC’s Today, she felt different.

“I was drawing self-portraits with the brown crayon instead of the peach crayon,” she told Lauer. “It was a little more complex than me identifying as black.”

Dolezal, who has lived as a black woman, but was outed by her parents as white, broke her silence in a 10-minute sitdown with Matt Lauer.

She admitted that she knew one day her past would catch up with her. Still, she has few regrets.

“I’ve had to answer a lot of questions throughout my life,” said Dolezal, who resigned the presidency of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP on Monday.

She cited her life work as further evidence that her self-identification as black (NOT African-American, she notes) is real.

Besides her NAACP work, she went to historically black Howard University and has taught in the Africana studies department of a local college.

In an interesting choice of words, she said: “I don’t see why they’re in such a rush to whitewash the work that I have done and who I am and how I have identified.”

“My life has been one of survival,” Dolezal went on.

“The decisions I’ve made along the way, including my identification, have been to survive.”

She insisted she will continue to fight for social justice.

Dear Executive Committee and NAACP Members, It is a true honor to serve in the racial and social justice movement here...

Posted by Spokane NAACP on Monday, June 15, 2015