UC Berkeley Scholar Outed As Fake Minority

An academic scholar at the University of California (UC) Berkeley admitted she is actually white after misidentifying herself as Native American for her entire life, according to a statement on her personal website.

Associate professor Elizabeth Hoover apologized to the Native communities she lived among in a “Letter of Apology and Accountability” posted May 1, saying she incorrectly identified herself based on incomplete information. Hoover teaches environmental science and policy management at the university, according to her LinkedIn page.

“In uncritically living an identity based on family stories without seeking out a documented connection to these communities, I caused harm. I hurt Native people who have been my friends, colleagues, students, and family, both directly through fractured trust and through activating historical harms,” Hoover wrote.