Activist teacher’s Palestinian identity claims unravel as she admits being a ‘White woman’ of privilege

A Philadelphia educator known for her anti-Israel activism has admitted to lying about her Palestinian and Black identities and revealed that she is "a White woman of significant privilege and wealth" — leading some online to refer to her as the "Palestinian Rachel Dolezal." Hannah Gann, a longtime educator with the School District of Philadelphia, previously claimed that she was both Palestinian and Black, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

In one instance, her outspoken activism led to a mobile billboard that called her "Philadelphia's Leading antisemite" being parked outside her school.

Inquirer journalist Kristen A.

Graham wrote, "A Philadelphia teacher is being called the ‘Palestinian Rachel Dolezal’ after being caught lying about her background." This was a nod to the former NAACP official who rose to fame in 2015 after it was revealed that she had been identifying as a Black woman despite having two White parents.

Graham noted that the phrase has popped up about Gann online.

The Inquirer reported that Gann — a teacher at the Workshop School, a project-based high school in the School District of Philadelphia — is White and Jewish and lied about her identity for several years.

FEDS OPEN PROBE INTO NEW YORK CITY'S ANTI-ISRAEL TEACHERS "Members met with Hannah and questioned her about her background on Thursday and after an hour of discussion, Hannah finally admitted she lied," the Racial Justice Organizing Committee and Philly Educators for Palestine said in a statement to the outlet, adding that, "We asked her to publicly acknowledge that she is a White woman of Jewish heritage and an Israeli settler family." Fox News Digital reached out to the Racial Justice Organizing Committee.

Both groups are reportedly "stunned, saddened and angered by this betrayal," and have permanently severed their ties with Gann.

In a 10-minute-long video posted to Instagram , Gann admitted to and apologized for the yearslong ruse, while revealing she is "a White woman of significant privilege and wealth." FAR-LEFT ACTIVIST CONFERENCE AT TEACHERS UNION HQ RAISES CLASSROOM CONCERNS "There is not a single person on this planet, no friend, no fellow organizer, no one in my family, no professional connection, no secret op or handler who knew what I was doing," Gann said.

"I hid my family’s background from everyone in Philly and also hid from the people in my own family what I was doing." Gann was reportedly a leading voice within the school district following the Oct.

7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel , and in 2024, she participated in a West Philadelphia "teach-in" on "scholasticide" in Gaza.

She was also a vocal supporter of Keziah Ridgeway , a Philadelphia educator who was previously disciplined over pro-Palestinian social media posts shared on her private accounts.