Philadelphia Teacher Admits Years of Lies About Her Background

Philadelphia teacher Hannah Gann admitted she had lied for years about her racial and family background, prompting two activist groups to say they had cut ties with her. Gann, who taught at the Workshop School, described herself in an Instagram post as a white woman of significant privilege and wealth and said she had no Palestinian or Tunisian heritage. The Racial Justice Organizing Committee and Philly Educators for Palestine said members confronted Gann about her background and that she acknowledged the deception after a discussion. The groups said they asked her to publicly recognize that she was a white woman of Jewish heritage and from what they described as an Israeli settler family. They characterized the episode as a betrayal and said they had severed ties with her. In an Instagram video, Gann said she had hidden or lied about her background to people in her life, including friends, fellow organizers, family members and professional contacts. She said half-truths had grown into outright lies and apologized for the harm caused.