[Banfield:] Rachel Dolezal the woman who resigned of the NAACP leader after she was exposed as a white woman, is now breaking her silence. This morning Dolezal telling NBC's Matt Lauer, "I identify as black."
[Matt Lauer, Nbc Correspondent:] Are you an African-American woman?
[Rachel Dolezal, Former Naacp Leader:] I identify as black.
[Lauer:] You identify as black, let me put a picture of a view in your early 20s though and when you see this picture, is this an African- American woman? Or is that a Caucasian Woman?
[Rachel Dolezal:] That's not I my early 20s, but...
[Lauer:] That's a little younger I guess, yeah.
[Rachel Dolezal:] I was just 16 in that girl.
[Lauer:] Is she a Caucasian woman or an African-American woman?
[Rachel Dolezal:] I would say that visibly, she will be identified as white, by people who see her.
[Lauer:] But at the time, were you identifying yourself as African- American?
[Rachel Dolezal:] In that picture, during that time, no.
[Lauer:] Your parents were asked this question this week and they didn't have any trouble answering it. And here's what they said, "She's clearly our birth daughter and were clearly Caucasian. That's just the fact." Your father went on to say, "She's a very talented woman doing work she believes in, why can't she do that as a Caucasian woman which is what she is." How do you answer that question?
[Rachel Dolezal:] Well, first of all, I really don't see why they're in such a rush to white wash some of the work that I have done and who I am and how I've identified. And it goes back to a very early age with my self identification with the black experience, as a very young child.
[Lauer:] When did it start?
[Rachel Dolezal:] I would say, about five years old.
[Lauer:] You began identifying yourself as African-American?
[Rachel Dolezal:] I was drawing self portraits with the brown crayon instead of the peach crayon and the black, you know, black curly hair and, you know, yeah, that was how I was portraying myself.
[Banfield:] That was Rachel Dolezal this morning and this afternoon is Rachel's parents, Larry and Ruthanne joining me live now out from Troy, Montana, thank you so much Ms. And Mr. Dolezal for being with me. I wanted to just ask if that last point that Rachel made with Matt Lauer that she began again identifying as black as early as five years old, drawing herself with the brown crayon instead of the pink crayon. Do you have any memories of that?
[Ruthanne Dolezal, Mother Of Rachel Anne Dolezal:] No we do not.
[Banfield:] Anything even slightly that might indicate she felt different back when she was say five, six, seven in her very young age.
[Ruthanne Dolezal:] Rachel was like, we were interested in ethnicity and diversity and we had many friends in our circles that were of different ethnicities, but she did not ever refer to herself or draw pictures or anything that indicated she thought of herself as black.
[Banfield:] Had she had many experiences other than friends of yours? I know you've said made travels as a family to African countries. Had she done that in her early years, for instance the years that she was referring to in the interview?
[Lawrence Dolezal, Father Of Rachel Anne Dolezal:] No.
[Ruthanne Dolezal:] No. Rachel was never in Africa with us.
[Banfield:] So, is their any explanation that you can think of having I'm assuming having watched her appearance this morning on the Today Show. Is there any explanation that you can give to her answers that she gave to Matt Lauer?
[Ruthanne Dolezal:] She's still dodging the question about acknowledging who she is in reality.
[Lawrence Dolezal:] How would you respond if I were to suggest that I'm now identifying as an African American man. I am now a black man because I adapted four African-American children. I...
[Banfield:] Well I it's all very perplexing I think to so many of us and I would think that it would be the most perplexing to the people who had been closest to her at one time of life, you. And I just wonder how you felt watching that interview this morning..
[Ruthanne Dolezal:] It was disturbing because the false statements continue. And as mush as we're concerned with Rachel's identity issues, we are also concerned with her integrity issues.
[Banfield:] So she claims that you're trying to and I'll just you know, quote her. "I don't see why they, meaning her parents, you, are in such a rush to white wash some of the work I have done and who I am and how I have identified." Do you see yourselves as having somehow sorted what she's doing and who she feels she is?
[Lawrence Dolezal:] No. We were contacted about a week ago by the Coeur d'Alene Press asking if we could verify Rachel's ethnicity and we responded, "Well, we can tell you that we are her birth parents. And her ethnicity background is European descent Caucasian, primarily Czech and German."
[Banfield:] So can I ask you, did you expect to hear any sort of apologies this morning from Rachel when she was speaking to Matt Lauer, apologies for the lies that she's told because frankly she has lied. It's not just misrepresenting, it's not just correcting the record when those assumed she was either biracial or African-American or black. It was blatant lie.
[Lawrence Dolezal:] That's exactly how we see it, unfortunately.
[Ruthanne Dolezal:] And yes, we hope that she will come to terms with truth and reality and she will make an apology.
[Banfield:] Have you had any issues with your other children, her four younger much younger black siblings because they also have gone public and they have varying views of what's going on. Have you as a family come to terms with being in the spotlight like this and honestly having her as a national punch line it seems.
[Ruthanne Dolezal:] Well our intention has never been to harm Rachel. All we have done was to respond to the press when they initiated questions.
[Lawrence Dolezal:] Yes, and no. I guess we could ask you, how would you respond if you receive similar questions? Would you tell the truth? Would you support the lies? Would you hang up or say no comment?
[Banfield:] Well I can imagine the position that you're in. I think it's uncomfortable for a lot of people and I'm sure it's terribly uncomfortable for you as well. I do appreciate you taking a time to speak with us today.
[Lawrence Dolezal:] Thank you very much.
[Banfield:] Lawrence and Ruthanne Dolezal, the parents of Rachel Dolezal speaking out today live from Troy, Montana. Ms. Dolezal's explanation about her race with the controversy perhaps an even a more complicated state. Were they answers that people expected? Did it confuse people further? We're going to get some answers to that in a moment.