A long time ago I had a friend with about the same coloring as Earls. She was "black" by genetics: born of darker skinned parents (one quite dark, one lighter), and all her siblings were quite a bit darker then her. Among the white group of friends I was part of, she totally passed as white and generally didn't mention it, but as I got to know her better she showed me her family pictures.
This just showcases the complexity of what it means to be black, or white. But I think in this case, Earls is correctly speaking as a black woman.