'I hid the truth or outright lied': Teacher and activist admits to lying about race, heritage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggGF8c5GNTM

A Philadelphia teacher and community activist is publicly apologizing after admitting that she spent years misrepresenting her racial and ethnic background.

Hannah Gann, a 10th-grade social studies teacher at The Workshop School in West Philadelphia, acknowledged in a video posted online that she had lied about her identity to people in her personal and professional life.

“I hid the truth or outright lied about my background to everyone in my life,” Gann said.

Gann said she has no Palestinian or Tunisian heritage and described herself as a white woman of Jewish heritage and “significant privilege and wealth.” Activist organizations that previously worked with her said she had also claimed to be Black at various points.

Her Activism Had Focused on Racial Justice and Palestine

Gann had been involved for years with Philadelphia-based racial justice and pro-Palestinian organizing.

She was a member of the Racial Justice Organizing Committee and Philly Educators for Palestine, and had participated in teach-ins and other events focused on racial justice and the war in Gaza. She also publicly supported fellow Philadelphia teacher Keziah Ridgeway, who faced disciplinary action from the school district over pro-Palestinian social media posts.

Her background became the subject of scrutiny after activists began investigating claims she had made about her ancestry.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, activists confronted Gann about her background, and she eventually acknowledged that those claims were false.

Activist Groups Cut Ties

Following the confrontation, the Racial Justice Organizing Committee and Philly Educators for Palestine announced that they would no longer work with Gann.

The groups said they were deeply concerned that Palestinian and Black identities had been misrepresented and that trust within their organizations had been damaged. They also emphasized that people can support marginalized communities without claiming identities that are not their own.

The groups have also urged people to keep the focus on the students and communities affected by the situation rather than allowing the controversy to overshadow the causes they support.

Gann Says She Believed in the Causes

In her lengthy apology, Gann acknowledged that her actions caused harm but said the causes she advocated for were genuine to her.

She said she had allowed “half-truths and obfuscations to grow into outright lies” and acknowledged that her deception extended beyond activist circles.

Gann also asked people not to judge the organizations and individuals who had worked alongside her based solely on her actions, saying they did not know she had been misrepresenting her background.

Questions About Her Role at the School

The controversy has also raised questions about Gann's position as a teacher and her relationships with students.

The Philadelphia School District said it was aware of social media posts concerning Gann and her involvement with an outside advocacy organization. The district declined to comment on personnel matters but said it was making additional support available to students and staff at The Workshop School.

Local reporting has indicated that Gann is no longer working directly with students, although the district has not publicly detailed any personnel action.

A Controversy That Has Spread Beyond Philadelphia

The revelation has drawn national attention, with some commentators comparing the situation to the 2015 controversy involving Rachel Dolezal, a white civil rights activist who had publicly identified as Black.

The comparison has also become part of the broader conversation surrounding Gann's case, although her own circumstances and background are distinct.

For the organizations that once worked with her, however, the immediate concern is less about the national spotlight and more about rebuilding trust within their communities.

Gann has acknowledged the deception and apologized. Her former colleagues and activist groups are now dealing with the consequences of discovering that someone they had trusted had not been truthful about a fundamental part of her identity.

Source: 6abc Philadelphia