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How Twitter Is Reacting To Dolezal's Statement

by Abby Johnston

In an live interview on the Today show Tuesday morning, Rachel Dolezal told Matt Lauer she identified as black, and that amid the fallout over the last week, she would still choose to do the whole thing again. The interview, which was Dolezal's first TV appearance since it was revealed she had been claiming to be a black woman for years, gave her the chance to clear up some pretty pressing questions about how she identifies herself and why. And Twitter, which has largely fueled the conversation around Dolezal's so-called transracial experience, naturally weighed in.

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the former Spokane NAACP president told Lauer she never deceived anyone. "I do take exception to that because it's a little more complex than me identifying as black or answering a question of, are you black or white?"

Dolezal added that she hopes that the conversation surrounding her experience can bring about change. "I hope that that can drive at the core of definitions of race, ethnicity, culture, self determination, personal agency and, ultimately, empowerment," she said.

So did that clear things up for everyone? Twitter says, "NOPE." Lauer invited viewers to participate in the conversation using the #orangeroom hashtag on Twitter. He will, perhaps, wish he hadn't. But Twitter at-large had its own varied responses to the interview.

That she's lying

That she used it as personal gain

That she didn't really answer any questions

That her situation is comparable to Caitlyn Jenner

That she could've handled things differently

That we should've handled things differently

So maybe that interview didn't really help Dolezal's case for most people. At this point, I'm not sure what — if anything — would.

Images: Screenshot/TODAY