Social justice activist groups shut down after leader admits her years-long race hoax

A pro-Palestinian woman admitting to orchestrating a race hoax for years has led to one activist group dissolving and another going on hiatus in contemplation of dissolving.

Hannah Gann told people at different times that she was black, Palestinian, and Tunisian, but she later admitted that she was a Jewish white woman.

‘She has moments when she tries to act extra black, like cosplaying black.’

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

A group that included teachers in the Philadelphia district and advocated for the Palestinian cause said they were shutting down in the wake of the controversy over Gann.

“After much reflection, Philly Educators for Palestine has made the decision to dissolve,” the group said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who participated, supported, organized, learned, taught, and stood alongside us. We are proud of what we accomplished together and of the community that was built through this work.”

The Racial Justice Organizing Committee said it was taking a “two-month hiatus to rest, process, and decompress,” and added that members would make a decision about their next steps by the end of the year.

Members of the groups expressed shock and anger at what they called a “betrayal” by Gann.

She admitted in a 10-minute video that she had “allowed half-truths and obfuscations to grow into outright lies.”

One woman told the Philadelphia Inquirer that she had been befriended by Gann and was outraged by the damage she had done to their cause.

“She has moments when she tries to act extra black, like cosplaying black,” said the organizer, who did not want to be publicly identified.

The woman said Gann would wear large earrings, wear African print clothing, and use black vernacular.

“She told people she was mixed. She told someone she was Lebanese,” the woman added.

Members of the two groups called on Gann to face discipline from her employer, a project-based district high school.

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“I think Hannah should get fired,” said the organizer. “This has got to be so traumatizing for those kids. This is a group of kids that don’t trust adults anyway, living in Philly at this time. And they had an adult they thought they could trust, and she was lying about something so fundamental.”

She went on to call Gann’s actions “disgusting” and said she would never speak to Gann ever again.

WPVI-TV reported that Gann was no longer working with students, although the Philadelphia district said it would not comment about personnel matters.

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