There are lies, and then there are lies that require you to create an entirely different identity.
According to NBC News reporting, Hannah Gann, a Philadelphia teacher and activist, has admitted to spending years falsely presenting herself as Black and Palestinian while becoming deeply involved in racial justice and pro-Palestinian activism. Gann eventually confessed after members of Philly Educators for Palestine and the Racial Justice Organizing Committee confronted her about her background. The groups met with Gann and questioned her for more than an hour before she finally admitted that she had lied. Both organizations later announced that they were cutting ties with her and said she would no longer be welcome in their organizing spaces.
To be clear, this wasn’t some random internet identity that nobody ever had to deal with. Gann was an extremely active participant in the work. She taught at Philadelphia’s Workshop School and had been involved with racial justice and Palestinian advocacy. She also became a vocal supporter of fellow Philadelphia teacher Keziah Ridgeway, who faced disciplinary action over pro-Palestinian social media posts.
Ridgeway later confronted Gann herself after learning that the story Gann had told people about her heritage didn’t add up. According to NBC News, Ridgeway said Gann initially denied the allegations before providing additional explanations about her family history. Eventually, Ridgeway confronted her again and asked that Gann call her father so the claims could be questioned directly.
“She hung up on her father and snapped at me when I tried to ask another question,” Ridgeway said. “And in that moment, I realized that her father didn’t know, her family didn’t know that she was here in this city, lying about being a Black woman to her students, about being Palestinian, and nobody in her family knew the truth.”
In an Instagram post and follow-up video, Gann admitted that she had lied about her background and described herself as a “white woman of significant privilege and wealth.”
She said she had hidden or outright lied about her family history from virtually everyone in her life. Gann also maintained that she genuinely believed in the causes she supported, despite the deception.
Naturally, the Rachel Dolezal comparisons came flying almost immediately. BOSSIP has covered Dolezal extensively, from the revelation that she had been presenting herself as Black to the fallout from her fabricated identity. The situations aren’t identical, but the similarities are difficult to ignore. Another white woman allegedly constructed an identity that allowed her to move through spaces and conversations centered on communities she did not actually belong to. In fact, Dolezal uploaded a video on social media to chime in on the situation.
Gann didn’t need to fake anything to support Palestinian or Black communities. She could have simply been an educated and devout ally. Guess that wasn’t good enough…
