BOSTON -- The woman who called 911 to report a possible break-in at the home of a black Harvard scholar said Wednesday she was vilified and called a racist after the incident at Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s home, but she would do it again if put in the same situation.

Lucia Whalen spoke with a shaky voice and tears in her eyes about Gates' Cambridge arrest and the incident that sparked a national debate about race relations. Gates was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge earlier this month as he was trying to force open the front door of his home.

"People called me racist and said I caused all the turmoil that followed," Whalen said.

Whalen, 40, who is of Portuguese descent, called police to report that two men may be breaking into a home. On the police tapes that were released earlier this week, she is heard telling the dispatcher that she thought one of the men was Hispanic, and not black. Whalen said that she now hopes the tapes will help heal her reputation.

"I know the truth, but I did not speak up right away because I did not want to add to the controversy. After the tapes came out (I realized) there was public support," she said.

Whalen said that she was "careful and honest" with her words and never thought the situation would be analyzed by an entire nation.

"I am proud to be a member of the Cambridge community. While I do not live there, I have worked (there) for 15 years. When I was called racist and I was a target of scorn and ridicule because of the things I never said, the criticism hurt me as a person, but it also hurt the city of Cambridge," Whalen said.

She hopes that "the truth of the tapes" will help heal the community as they have helped restore her reputation. Despite the pain, she said that if she was in the situation again, she would do the same thing and had no regrets about calling 911.

"What has made me feel better is that the truth is out and that I feel good about," Whalen said. "If you are a concerned citizen, you should do the right thing. I would do the same thing."

Whalen's attorney, Wendy Murphy, said that her client was the one person in the situation who did not overreact.

"She made a measured, thoughtful and objective call to 911 to report suspicious activity," Murphy said. "Any one of us would be lucky to have someone living or working in their neighborhood -- someone who cares enough to get involved."

President Barack Obama will meet at the White House on Thursday with Gates and Crowley after the incident sparked a national debate about race relations.

Chief White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the three men will meet at a picnic table outside the Oval Office on Thursday at about 6 p.m. Although Crowley's family will also be traveling to Washington, the meeting will only be between the officer, Gates and Obama.

The announcement of the meeting came after Cambridge police released the 911 call and radio transmissions of the July 16 encounter at Gates' home.

In the radio call, Crowley describes Gates as "uncooperative" as he was questioning him at his Cambridge residence. During radio communication with the dispatcher, Crowley said Gates was not cooperating and told the dispatcher to "keep the cars coming."

Whalen told the 911 dispatcher that an older woman told her two gentlemen were trying to gain access to the home.

"They kind of had to barge in and they broke the screen door, and they finally got in. When I looked, I went further, closer to the house after the gentlemen were already in the house. I noticed two suitcases. So I am not sure if these were two individuals who actually work there, I mean who live there," she said.

"What do you mean by barge in? Did they kick the door in?" the dispatcher said.

"No. They were pushing the door in, like the screen part of the front door," Whalen said. "I didn't see a key or anything because I was a little bit away from the door."

"I don't know if they live there and they had a hard time with their key, but I noticed they had to use their shoulder to barge in, and they got in. I didn't notice if they had a key or not, because I couldn't see from my angle," Whalen said.

Whalen told the dispatcher that the men were still in the house.

"Are they white, black or Hispanic?" the dispatcher said.

"There were two larger men. One looked kind of Hispanic, but I am not sure. The other one entered, and I did not see him at all," she said.