Philly teacher, activist admits she lied for years about being Palestinian and Black

Key Points:

• Hannah Gann, a white Philadelphia teacher at the Workshop School, admitted to falsely claiming for years that she was a Black woman of Palestinian and Tunisian descent, acknowledging her deception on social media.
• Local activist groups, including the Racial Justice Organizing Committee and Philly Educators for Palestine, confronted Gann and stated she will no longer be welcome in their protests or organizing efforts due to her betrayal.
• Gann apologized publicly, expressing regret for the harm caused to the communities and causes she supported under false pretenses, while insisting she never compromised the safety of those groups.
• Gann's longtime friend and fellow activist Keziah Ridgeway, who was unaware of the deception, defended Gann’s prior work but acknowledged taking action only after concrete evidence emerged.
• The school district is aware of the situation and is providing support to students and staff but declined to comment on personnel matters, while activist groups continue to assess Gann’s access to organizational resources obtained through misrepresentation.