Ahna Skop, Professor

[Advanced Smite]

William Thomas Smith
B: 27 Mar 1872 - Kentucky, USA
D: 17 Feb 1961 - Pike County, Kentucky, USA

1920 United States Federal Census
Name   W T Smith
Age   47
Birth Year   1873
Birthplace   Kentucky
Home in 1920   Lower Big Creek, Pike, Kentucky
Residence Date   1920
Race   White
Gender   Male
Relation to Head of House   Head
Marital Status   Married
Father's Birthplace   Kentucky
Mother's Birthplace   Kentucky
Household members
W T Smith   47
Esther Smith   35
Monroe Smith   21
Evastor Smith   18
Maggie Smith   16
Marinda Smith   14
Linnie Pauley   14
Homer Smith   12
Emma Pauley   12
Finis Smith   10
Mary Pauley   9
Maxie Smith   6
Martha Pauley   6
Gladys Smith   4
Columbus Pauley  4

1910 United States Federal Census
Name   William T Smith
Age in 1910   38
Birth Date   1872
Birthplace   Kentucky
Home in 1910   Big Creek, Pike, Kentucky, USA
Race   White
Gender   Male
Relation to Head of House   Head
Marital Status   Married
Father's Birthplace   Kentucky
Mother's Birthplace   Kentucky
Household members
William T Smith  38
Mary Smith   33
Joseph M Smith    12
Erastus Smith   10
Maggie M Smith  7
Marinda Smith   4
Homer Smith   2

1900 United States Federal Census
Name   William Smith
Age   29
Birth Date   Jul 1870
Birthplace   Kentucky, USA
Home in 1900   Big Creek, Pike, Kentucky
Race   White
Gender   Male
Relation to Head of House   Head
Marital Status   Married
Marriage Year   1897
Years Married   3
Father's Birthplace   Kentucky, USA
Mother's Birthplace   Kentucky, USA
Household members
William Smith   29
Mary Smith   21
Erastus Smith   6
Joseph M Smith    2

1880 United States Federal Census
Name   William T. Smith
Age   8
Birth Date   Abt 1872
Birthplace   Kentucky
Home in 1880   Martin, Kentucky, USA
Race   White
Gender   Male
Relation to Head of House   Son
Marital Status   Single
Father's Birthplace   Kentucky
Mother's Birthplace   Kentucky
Household members
Joseph Smith   30
Mary Ann Smith   30
William L. Smith*   8
Marinda Smith   5
James C. Smith   2

*I looked at the actual census and believe the "L" middle initial is a transcription error. After reviewing the census taker's handwriting and samples of how "T" was written in the 1800s, I believe the middle initial is correctly written as "T".

West Virginia, U.S., Marriages Index, 1785-1971
Name   Wm T Smith
Gender   Male
Birth Date   1873
Age   24
Spouse's Name   Mary E Hinkle
Spouse Gender   Female
Spouse Age   21
Marriage Date   8 Jan 1897
Marriage Place   Mingo, West Virginia

U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Name   William Thomas Smith
Gender   Male
Race   White
Birth Date   27 Mar 1872
Birth Place   Martin Co, Kentucky
Father   Joseph Smith
Mother   Mary M Canada

Kentucky, U.S., Death Index, 1911-2000
Name   William T Smith
Death Date   17 Feb 1961
Death Place   Pike
Age   88
Residence  Pike

Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852-1965
Name   William Thomas Smith
Gender   Male
Race White
Death Age   88
Birth Date   27 Mar 1872
Birth Place   Pike County, Kentucky, USA
Death Date   17 Feb 1961
Death Place   Pikeville, Pike, Kentucky, USA
Father   Joey Smith
Mother   Mary Canada


Mary E Hinkle
B: 16 May 1878 - Kentucky, USA
D: 3 Mar 1918 - Pike County, Kentucky, USA

1910 United States Federal Census
Name   Mary Smith
Age in 1910   33
Birth Date   1877
Birthplace   Kentucky
Home in 1910   Big Creek, Pike, Kentucky, USA
Race   White
Gender   Female
Relation to Head of House   Wife
Marital Status   Married
Father's Birthplace   Kentucky
Mother's Birthplace   Kentucky
Household members
William T Smith   38
Mary Smith   33
Joseph M Smith   12
Erastus Smith   10
Maggie M Smith   7
Marinda Smith   4
Homer Smith   2

1900 United States Federal Census
Name   Mary Smith
Age   21
Birth Date   May 1879
Birthplace   Kentucky, USA
Home in 1900   Big Creek, Pike, Kentucky
Race   White
Gender   Female
Relation to Head of House   Wife
Marital Status   Married
Father's Birthplace   Kentucky, USA
Mother's Birthplace   Kentucky, USA
Household members
William Smith   29
Mary Smith   21
Erastus Smith   6
Joseph M Smith    2

West Virginia, U.S., Marriages Index, 1785-1971
Name   Mary E Hinkle
Gender   Female
Birth Date   1876
Age   21
Spouse's Name   Wm T Smith
Spouse Gender   Male
Spouse Age   24
Marriage Date   8 Jan 1897
Marriage Place   Mingo, West Virginia

Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852-1965
Name   Mary Smith
Maiden Name   Hinkle
Gender   Female
Race   White
Death Age   39
Birth Date   16 May 1878
Birth Place   Pike, Kentucky, USA
Death Date   3 Mar 1918
Death Place   Pike, Kentucky, USA
Father                George Hinkle
Mother                Annie Ray


I have traced Ahna Skop's family back to 1870 with every family member listed as "white" on every record (except, possibly, on the death certificate of Ahna Skop's grandmother, Josephine Smith Prince). In my opinion, based on publicly available information, this research shows that Josephine Smith was incorrectly listed as "Cherokee" on her death certificate. You don't become Cherokee/Native American overnight. It follows each generation through records. Ahna Skop's family did not live anywhere near the Cherokee as they lived in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. Kentucky was shared hunting ground but the Cherokee never had permanent settlements in Kentucky. I will not be adding additional genealogy. I may add screenshots as of Ahna Skop's family tree.

[educatedindian]

What I was asking is if she's truly Lebanese or Syrian as claimed. The older "scientific racism" claims that Arabs were caucasian/white. Some of my Syrian or Lebanese students could pass for white, sometimes brown hair, fair skin, or light eyes. But they certainly face discrimination as Arabs, demonization like the last president attacking them and barring them.
Some have been in the US many generations and can pass easier. People as old as me remember the comedian Marlo Thomas of That Girl. Skop, even if she is Arab in her ancestors, could pass since she likely would have no accent.
But I didn't see any Arab names in the genealogy. Skop is a Jewish or Polish name and Poland is near the Ukraine. But her mother's side has all English names except for Liken which is German.
So the Syrian, Lebanese, and even Greek claims of hers also seem to be made up or based on family claims or something we don't know about yet. While many minority scholarships and awards do include Arabs, if she made that up too, she got the awards based on dubious claims.

[Advanced Smite]

Tweeted by Dr. Ahna Skop, Ph.D. @foodskop at 2:52 PM on 12/4/2017 (screenshot attached)

Dr. Ahna Skop, Ph.D.
@foodskop
Finally an article that nails it!!
@SenWarren is not Cherokee.
#actionslouderthanwords
https://thinkprogress.org/elizabeth-warren-is-not-cherokee-c1ec6c91b696/
2:52 PM       12/4/17

Here's more information on the great article Ahna Skop shared:

11/30/2017: "Op-Ed: I am a Cherokee woman. Elizabeth Warren is not." - By Rebecca Nagel
Direct Link: https://archive.thinkprogress.org/elizabeth-warren-is-not-cherokee-c1ec6c91b696/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230124204250/https://thinkprogress.org/elizabeth-warren-is-not-cherokee-c1ec6c91b696/

[Advanced Smite]

Ahna Skop discusses how she relates to BIPOC students and states that she was a McNair Scholar in the YouTube video linked and transcribed below. I recommend starting the video at least a few minutes before the transcribed section. In my opinion, there are some interesting verbal and body language changes when Ahna Skop begins discussing her alleged Cherokee ancestry. I decided not to make readability-edits to the transcribed section for that reason.

YouTube: SAi Seminar - Too creative for science? - Dr. Ahna R. Skop
Streamed: April 17, 2021
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JROonrFNZxk

1:03:25 - I guess other things I did as a grad student too is -um- because my mom's, my mom's mother, -is- is Cherokee -um- and really grew up in a traumatic home and ran away from home, is that I spent a lot of time talking to her and understanding -um- the issues of indigenous in this country. And so, I done a lot of outreach and I started -um- tutoring students -who are- who are not only Native but, you know, BIPOC students -at that time- in my free time -um- because it was really important to me. I was a McNair Scholar myself. I have a low-income student. You know. I have a disability too. I have invisible disabilities too. So- so, I've always done that in the side and art always comes into play there. But, also, telling my own personal story is very helpful for those students to see themselves in you and do that path and so -um- a lot of people didn't know I was doing it but I did it because someone gave me a chance, right? Someone gave me, you know, federal government gave me work-study money. I was able to do this and so I always have given back stuff. Um. So, I guess balancing your time in grad school doing that -um- those are how I incorporate it my daily life.

Eligibility criteria for McNair Scholars is below:

McNair participants are either first-generation college students with financial need, or members of a group that is traditionally underrepresented in graduate education and have demonstrated strong academic potential. The goal of the McNair Scholars Program is to increase graduate degree awards for students from underrepresented segments of society.

Direct Link: https://mcnairscholars.com/about/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230127020017/https://mcnairscholars.com/about/

Ahna Skop references not being a first-generation college student in other YouTube videos. Despite Ahna Skop's frequent mention of having been or being low-income (shifts between past and present tense in different sources), that would make still make her ineligible under the first eligibility option which would mean Ahna Skop likely received funding by claiming to be a member of a traditionally underrepresented group.

[educatedindian]

I went through the McNair Program myself. They help you apply to grad school, coach and mentor you, pay your application fees for ten schools (@$400-600), and pay for your expenses at an academic conference (membership, plane ticket, hotel, stipend ($800-1200). Plus there's a summer camp to prep for grad school. Easily $5000 or so, plus you're far more likely to get into a better grad school.

They used to accept women as an underrepresented group, but that was 30 years ago when I was in it. They don't appear to now. I didn't see Arab listed as underrepresented. At the time I went through it, they were strict about who was accepted as Native. Enrolled tribal members only, so I went in as Latino since I'm also Mexican. Seems they've dropped the strict enrolled only rule.

Financially benefitting, and academically, and altering or misrepresenting genealogy records. Moved to Frauds.

[Advanced Smite]

Ahna Skop (Skop) presented at Hartford Union High School in mid-February 2023. Hartford Union High School tweeted about the presentation and included a picture. The picture happened to be taken at the point in Skop's presentation when she displays a slide containing an image of her family tree. It appears that Skop has slightly changed how she describes her mother's ancestry after becoming aware of the NAFPS thread. The text under her mother's picture now reads "Lebanese & White/Cherokee".

2/21/2023: Twitter Post, Hartford Union High School
Direct Link: https://twitter.com/HUHS_District/status/1628167685526933504
Archive Link: https://archive.ph/vNB7B

Previously, I posted a timeline of how Skop's family tree slide in her standard presentation/lecture has changed throughout the years. The description of her mother's ancestry has been:
- "Eastern Band Cherokee & Lebanese"
- "Cherokee & Lebanese"
- "Lebanese & Eastern Band Cherokee"
This is a direct link to the NAFPS post that covers the family tree slide: http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=5641.msg48894#msg48894

Ahna Skop is still falsely claiming Cherokee ancestry. I haven't found anything to indicate that Skop's voluntarily returned the UW-Madison Outstanding Woman of Color Award received in 2019/2020 or that she's requested the false information on the University of Wisconsin-Madison's website be corrected. There's also no evidence that UW-Madison has retracted the honor or corrected the false information shared on their website. How disappointing.

[Sparks]

Ahna Skop was the subject of controversy in 2020 when she argued that making jokes about worms was the tip of the iceberg when it came to making jokes about marginalized identities.
[…]
Someone on Reddit noticed the unusual way that Ahna Skop determined she was Native American after seeing a post about Wormageddon 2020.
https://www.reddit.com/r/internetdrama/comments/hvzld3/editorinchief_of_a_biology_journal_says_a/

There is also a Reddit thread this year with a link to the present topic here in NAFPS, with 19 comments so far:

https://www.reddit.com/r/internetdrama/comments/10h7biu/wormageddon_scientist_called_out_for_cherokee/

Wormageddon Scientist Called out for Cherokee Ancestry Claims
I posted this to r/ScienceUncensored, but I wanted folks here to see because this person was mentioned in this subreddit in like 2020.(https://www.reddit.com/r/internetdrama/comments/hvzld3/editorinchief_of_a_biology_journal_says_a/)
Ok so remember in like summer 2020 there was that Wormageddon thing on Twitter, where a prominent C.elegans researcher, Dr. Ahna Skop, compared making jokes about nematodes to making jokes about people of color? She basically got dunked on by all of twitter and there were several articles:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/worm-joke-causes-science-twitter-flame-war-over-accusations-of-sexism-and-racism
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8588031/Scientist-angers-Twitter-accused-sexism-racism-saying-roundworms-useless.html
Her time in the spotlight allowed people to examine and question her Cherokee identity. I think it has finally caught up to her because this forum that posts about people faking Native identities, a prominent user who recently exposed an activist in Madison, WI and became international news
(https://nypost.com/2023/01/03/wisconsin-artist-kay-leclaire-accused-of-faking-native-american-heritage/)
has zeroed in on Dr. Skop and the evidence against her Native American claims are wild and really contradict what she says. I recommended people read and discuss the forum post and this person will be posting. I know she's a prominent scientist who has had high impact publications, bases her whole career on POC and inclusivity, and has never been called out. Here is a link to a forum post.
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=5641.0