US teacher admits fabricating Palestinian and Tunisian heritage — Jerusalem Post
Hannah Gunn, a public school teacher in Philadelphia, United States, and a pro-Palestinian activist, said she had concealed the truth or lied about her background for years. In an Instagram video, she described herself as a “white woman with significant privilege and wealth” and said she has no Palestinian or Tunisian roots.
The Jerusalem Post reports this, citing Gunn’s public apology and statements by local activist groups. She works at The Workshop School in West Philadelphia.
Apology on Instagram
In a video statement published on Monday, Gunn said that she had “concealed the truth or outright lied about my background to everyone in my life.” According to her, she also hid from members of her own family what she was doing in Philadelphia.
Two local groups she worked with — Philly Educators for Palestine and the Racial Justice Organizing Committee — said in a statement that Gunn is of Jewish descent and belongs to a family of Israeli settlers. They also said that at various times she falsely identified herself as Black until activists questioned her about her biography several days ago.
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Statements by colleagues and activists
The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing internal documents from activist groups, reported that while studying in college, Gunn described herself as a “Jewish woman with family in the occupied West Bank.” According to the publication, she also told colleagues that her grandfather was born in Palestine, although documents cited by the Inquirer list Baltimore as his birthplace.
Other activists, according to the Jerusalem Post, accused Gunn of using makeup and self-tanner to darken her skin, as well as imitating an African American accent after serving in the Peace Corps in Rwanda. In her apology, Gunn insisted that her support for Palestinians was sincere, despite the falsity of the image she created.
Philly Educators for Palestine and the Racial Justice Organizing Committee said they would no longer work with Gunn and that she would not be allowed into their organizing spaces.
