Berkley Professor Finally Admits To Being Pretendian

By Isaac White.

An associate professor at the University of California Berkeley has apologized following confirmation that her claims of Native American ancestry are bogus. Elizabeth Hoover, who has professional ties to Akwesasne, and who formerly claimed ancestral ties to Kahnawake, said that she in fact has been white her “whole life.”

Hoover’s LinkedIN profile shows an extensive background in Native American fields of study, including Native American food systems, food sovereignty, environmental health, and advocacy among many others, all according to a university page dedicated to Hoover’s biography.

A prior statement from Hoover in 2022 claimed she had grown up under the impression she was Mohawk on her mother’s side of the family and that her father’s family was of Mi’kmaq ancestry. In her recanting of those claims, Hoover now asserts that following more scrutinous genealogical research of her family’s lineage, there is no evidence of tribal citizenship for her or any other family members.

“I have brought hurt, harm, and broken trust to the Native community at large, and to specific Native communities I have worked with and lived alongside, and for that, I am deeply sorry,” Hoover said in the apology.

Hoover admitted in her apologies that she had profited from money and programs targeted toward Native intellectuals. In her effort to make up for misleading the world about her Native ancestry, Hoover said she will continue to engage in restorative justice movements taking place on campus, “as well as supporting restorative justice processes in other circles I have been involved with, where my participation is invited.”

A collective statement drafted by three PhD students from Berkeley indicates that there is a growing demand for the resignation and removal of Hoover from “all positions on boards and advisory committees and all grants, speaking engagements, and other paid opportunities she obtained with her false identity” on campus. Many individuals appear to be in favor of this course of action.

There are currently 375 signatures from diverse UC Berkeley employees, faculty members, students, and other neighborhood residents.

According to Janet Gilmore, a UC Berkeley spokesman, the university is unable to resolve personnel issues that infringe on privacy rights.

“We are aware of and support ongoing efforts to achieve restorative justice in a way that acknowledges and addresses the extent to which this matter has caused harm and upset among members of our community,” the statement reads.