Rachel Dolezal, the former Spokane, Wash., N.A.A.C.P. chief, was ensnared in a national debate about identity and race last month when her parents told reporters that although she claimed to be black she was born Caucasian.

The resulting controversy exploded on social media and cost Ms. Dolezal friends and jobs, she has said. But speaking to Vanity Fair in an article published over the weekend, she was unrepentant. Indeed, she doubled down on her claim: “I wouldn’t say I’m African-American, but I would say I’m black, and there’s a difference in those terms.”

“It’s not a costume,” Ms. Dolezal said in an interview.

“I don’t know spiritually and metaphysically how this goes, but I do know that from my earliest memories I have awareness and connection with the black experience, and that’s never left me,” she said.

“It’s not something that I can put on and take off anymore. Like I said, I’ve had my years of confusion and wondering who I really [was] and why and how do I live my life and make sense of it all, but I’m not confused about that any longer. I think the world might be, but I’m not.”