General > Frauds
Ahna Skop, Professor
Advanced Smite:
I was contacted, through an anonymous email, by people that wanted to post Ahna Skop to NAFPS for help with genealogy but were unable to open an account due to NAFPS-related technical issues. I agreed to help with genealogy and posting to NAFPS after doing my own research which revealed inconsistencies in Ahna Skop's claims.
Ahna Skop is a Professor in the Department of Genetics at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (UW-Madison). She is also an affiliate faculty member in the UW-Madison Arts Institute and in Life Sciences Communication. Ahna Skop primarily claims to be Eastern Band of Cherokee (EBCI).
--- Quote ---Ahna Skop, Affiliate Faculty – Life Sciences Communication, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Ahna, who is part Eastern Band Cherokee, is also passionate about increasing the numbers of underrepresented students in STE(A)M fields. On the UW-Madison campus and in her department, she has established several very successful recruitment and retention programs, and served two consecutive terms as the Chair of Equity and Diversity in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). In 2016, she was awarded the very first of two, Chancellor’s Inclusive Excellence Award for her outreach and inclusive teaching efforts. She has served as a board member for SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science) and was recently elected to the ASCB (American Association for Cell Biologists) Minority Affairs Committee where she has broadened her impact on underrepresented students in science nationally.[/i]
Direct Link: https://lsc.wisc.edu/facstaff/skop-ahna/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230117210143/https://lsc.wisc.edu/facstaff/skop-ahna/
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---4/1/2020: IB InBusiness - "Ahna Skop, Class of 2008" IB is celebrating 20 years of the 40 Under 40 in 2020 – By Site Staff
As someone who is Eastern Band Cherokee, Ukrainian, and Lebanese, and the first in my family to obtain a Ph.D., I’m also passionate about increasing the numbers of underrepresented students in STEAM fields.
On the UW–Madison campus and in my department, I’ve established several very successful recruitment and retention programs, and in 2015, I established stemdiversity.wisc.edu with support from the Sloan Foundation. In 2016, I was awarded the very first of two Chancellor’s Inclusive Excellence Awards for my outreach and inclusive teaching efforts. I have served as a board member for SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science), where I’ve broadened my impact on underrepresented students in science nationally. I currently serves as an advisor to the chief diversity officer at the NIH (Dr. Hannah Valantine), on the ASCB Minority Affairs Committee, and am a diversity consultant to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI).
Direct Link: https://www.ibmadison.com/ahna-skop-class-of-2008/
Archive Link:https://web.archive.org/web/20230118005911/https://www.ibmadison.com/ahna-skop-class-of-2008/
--- End quote ---
Ahna Skop was honored with the UW–Madison Outstanding Women of Color Award during the 2019-2020 academic year.
--- Quote ---UW-Madison Outstanding Women of Color Award (2019-2020 Cohort)
“Every year we have a growing number of nominees who are incredibly talented, accomplished and dedicated to both the university and the community. We’re celebrating just a few of the many women of color who have exceptional passion for innovations in teaching, recruiting and supporting students and staff on our campus, as well commitment to improving the quality of life in our larger community through service, oversight and personal involvement,” said Patrick J. Sims, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion. “This year we received more than 50 nominations for this opportunity to salute their exemplary contribution to campus and community. That means there is still an incredible number of candidates who need to know we value your tenacity, strength and wisdom.”
As a Native American female faculty member in a STEM department, Ahna Skop is an innovative advocate and activist pushing UW–Madison to improve its support networks so that all students become more engaged and comfortable on campus. Her innovative integration of scientific research and storytelling builds knowledge and communities. She pursues research interests relating genetics and fine arts with funding from the National Science Foundation, encourages students to become engaged through mentoring in her laboratory, hosts dinners and social activities in her home, and has cultivated a new generation of student leaders who are giving back in much the same way.
Under her guidance, the genetics department in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences now has a diversity committee tasked with assessing diversity and climate issues in that affect recruitment, training, retention and overall quality of experience within the department. Working with undergraduate student collaborators, Skop led the development of the STEM Diversity Network to encourage inclusion, diversity and equity. She serves as a mentor, on several campus committees and advisory boards, is a diversity liaison promoting campus-wide equity and diversity, and has been awarded a Chancellor’s Inclusive Excellence Award. Her contributions to advancing science and early-career scientists have been nationally recognized.
Direct Link: https://diversity.wisc.edu/2020/01/uw-madison-to-hold-12th-annual-reception-honoring-outstanding-women-of-color-2/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230000000000*/https://diversity.wisc.edu/2020/01/uw-madison-to-hold-12th-annual-reception-honoring-outstanding-women-of-color-2/
--- End quote ---
Most “women of color” know they're women of color prior to their late teens/early 20s which conflicts with what Skop said in this article from 2008 about her “definite links” to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
--- Quote ---Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
“Emerging Scholars: The Class of 2008” – By Diverse Staff
Developing research skills early in life led Skop to explore the veracity of an old generational myth — having American Indian blood in the family tree. During her undergrad years she researched and put together a genetic lineage with definite links to the Eastern Cherokee tribe of North Carolina. As one of only a few American Indian assistant professors in the country working at a top 50 research institution, Skop is committed to reaching out to young Native students.
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20220927235223/https://www.diverseeducation.com/faculty-staff/article/15086489/emerging-scholars-the-class-of-2008
Direct Link: https://www.diverseeducation.com/faculty-staff/article/15086489/emerging-scholars-the-class-of-2008
--- End quote ---
It is unusual for someone to jump from “an old generational myth” of Native American ancestry to being referred to as “one of only a few American Indian assistant professors in the country working at a top 50 research institution..” because you researched your family and believe you found “definite links to the Eastern Cherokee tribe of North Carolina.” What are those “definite links” Skop found? Was Skop's research accurate?
At this point in time, I haven’t been to confirm the "genetic lineage with definite links to the Eastern Cherokee tribe of North Carolina" that Ahna Skop (Skop) claims to have found while researching her family history during the years 1990-1994. I did find Skop's public family tree on ancestry.com which contains significant errors. Here are just a few:
- Skop linked a 1903 Choctaw Freedmen Land Allotment record for 8-year-old Josephine Prince to her grandmother, Josephine Smith, who wasn’t even born until 1927. Skop's grandmother didn’t become Josephine Prince until the late 1940s through marriage.
- Skop uploaded the death certificate of her great grandmother, Marinda Mae Smith, to ancestry.com on 6/2/2021. She commented “Race: Mulato” in the notes field which is incorrect. Skop's great grandmother’s race is recorded as “white” on the death certificate which is consistent with every United States Federal Census I was able to find for Marinda Mae Smith.
- Skop's great-great-grandparents’ names were written as “William Thomas Smith (colored) (choctaw)” and “Mary Esther (mulatto) Hinkle” by Skop in her family tree. I found that William T. Smith and Mary (Hinkle) Smith were recorded as “white” on every United Stated Federal Census and on their death records. I didn't find anything indicating they were colored, mulatto, or Choctaw. Skop did upload a Choctaw Roll Enrollment Card for a William T. Smith on 6/2/2021. That William T. Smith was married to a Choctaw woman and recorded as being an “intermarried white” who lived in Blue County, Indian Territory. The William T. Smith that was Skop's great-great-grandfather lived in Kentucky his entire life and was married to a white woman, Mary Hinkle.
- Skop has Jenny Wiley listed as a direct lineal ancestor in her family tree. According to Wikipedia, Jenny Wiley “was a pioneer woman who was taken captive by Native Americans in 1789.” Strangely, on 5/5/2012, Skop uploaded the Eastern Band of Cherokee flag as Jenny Wiley’s profile photo in her ancestry.com family tree. I haven’t been able to find any story about Jenny Wiley that has her (or any of her children) as Cherokee.
Below are links to Ahna Skop’s public profile and public family tree on ancestry.com. The profile says that Skop was last active today. I have screenshots and documentation of everything I have referenced in the event the tree is edited or made private.
Ancestry Profile Link:https://www.ancestry.com/profile/019f4310-0002-0000-0000-000000000000?compareToTestId=349E1ADE-C53E-441C-9E8F-D8948BC3DB2A
Ancestry Family Tree Link:https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/24664030?cfpid=1549466968&dtid=100
I’m not the only one that couldn’t find Cherokee or Native American ancestry in Ahna Skop's family tree. On 9/26/2013, Ahna Skop's sister made a public post on Facebook about helping her son with a family history project for school. A screenshot is attached, and I’ve transcribed the relevant portions below. The conversation was between Ahna’s sister, Ahna’s aunt, and Ahna Skop. I have redacted the screenshot and will not be referring to the sister or aunt by their first or last names in this post.
--- Quote ---9/26/2013: Facebook Post (Attached)
Ahna’s Sister: Who knew helping my son with his “family history project” would give me the better lesson on things that I never knew about my family’s heritage. One fun fact: we’re related to legendary pioneer woman Jenny Wiley.
Ahna’s Aunt: Ahna’s Sister; did you not know that? I thought you did as Ahna did all kinds of research on it. I think I have the book on her somewhere if you want it?
Ahna’s Sister: Hey Ahna’s Aunt, I did know that we were connected to her in some way, but didn’t really know the whole story. So horrible. That was the first time I actually read her story. Wondering how the whole “Cherokee” heritage worked its way into our knowledge, but none-the-less interesting. Another fun fact: we’re actually more Irish and English than anything else. Cool!
Ahna’s Aunt: And Greek on your grandpa side. Greek and French and English
Ahna’s Sister: Yeah I saw that. What I didn’t know was that it was most unlikely that Jane Wiley was half Cherokee according to these tales. So even if dna sampling came back with % being native american in our lineage it most likely did not come from this source. For years we were told that we are “part” Cherokee” but according to Ahna’s findings Grandma is less than 2% if stories are correct. So Really…we’re more Irish/English from Grandma’s side than anything else. Something I found really interesting.
Ahna Skop: Were Lebanese and Syrian and French English from grandpa
Ahna’s Aunt: What about the Greek part? I thought there was some Greek your grandfathers mom. Thats what he always said. And the English and French were his dad.
Ahna Skop: Nope the genetic test and birth places say Lebanese and Syrian in grandpas mother side.
Ahna’s Aunt: Well, his dad did go to the University in Lebanon, so that makes sense. Correct?
Ahna’s Aunt:University of Beirut I think?
Ahna Skop: American Univ of Beirut
--- End quote ---
Despite participating in that exchange on Facebook in 2013, Ahna Skop has continued to claim that she is EBCI/Native American. I have many questions about what “definite links to the Eastern Band of Cherokee” she found sometime between 1990-1994. She has incorrectly linked Choctaw and Choctaw Freedmen records to her family on ancestry.com. The people that contacted me about Ahna Skop provided a screenshot of her Twitter profile from 10/22/2022 in which she lists herself as “Cherokee/Creek” while her Twitter profile currently says “EB Cherokee.” The 10/22/2022 screenshot is attached and here is a link to her current Twitter profile: https://twitter.com/foodskop.
I’ll be posting genealogy and additional information over the next few days. I hope that anyone with additional information will contribute to this thread.
Advanced Smite:
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.
--- Quote ---8/2/2020: The Daily Beast, Worm Joke Causes Science Twitter Flame War Over Accusations of Sexism and Racism – By Ashley Elbein
By far the most prolific poster in this vein was Ahna Skop, associate professor of genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and previous recipient of a Diversity, Equality and Inclusion-based award in 2018. Dr. Skop—who did not respond to a request for comment by The Daily Beast—argued extensively that making jokes about worms was merely the tip of the iceberg when it came to making jokes about marginalized identities, or an example of a ‘bystander effect’, a psychological theory arguing that individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim in a crowd. (For is it not said: First they came for the worm people, and I said nothing, as I was not a worm person?)
In the resulting threads, Dr. Skop—who identifies as “part Eastern Band Cherokee” and “disabled with EDS”—and others consistently failed to publicly respond to Black scientists like herpetologist Chelsea Connor, who tried to point out that this was a ridiculous conflation. In a private communication Connor shared with The Daily Beast, Skop doubled down, arguing that as she had previously been harmed by entrenched sexism, her concerns regarding the worm joke were justified.
By July 21, wormageddon had transcended petty concerns about crassness or biases in research subject, and was now squirming across much thornier territory: i.e, the tendency of white and white-presenting academics to ignore structural oppression in favor of their personal feelings, and to refuse to authentically amplify the voices of marginalized people. While the dynamic is a familiar one, Connor told The Daily Beast, this example was a new low. “Never before had someone compared me and countless others to a worm…[or made] claims that worm researchers were discriminated against in a comparable or equal way to BIPOC, women and people with disabilities.”
In falsely equating the real oppression of people belonging to marginalized groups to a Twitter joke about a roundworm, Wormageddon 2020 offers a clear example of how white and white-passing women misuse the language of diversity, equality and inclusion, with little accountability and self-awareness, and without any interest in the hurt that such frivolous invocations cause the people they’re theoretically defending. Someone who took the struggles that marginalized people face in academia seriously, after all, would not invoke them to win a Twitter argument about whether a worm joke is rude. “That comparison should never have been the knee-jerk reaction for them,” Connor said. “And then the response [to criticism] should have been better... The harm done stays with us and they get to log out and forget that this ever happened and let it ‘blow over’ meanwhile we have to work to fix what they did.”
Direct Link: https://www.thedailybeast.com/worm-joke-causes-science-twitter-flame-war-over-accusations-of-sexism-and-racism
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230117201147/https://www.thedailybeast.com/worm-joke-causes-science-twitter-flame-war-over-accusations-of-sexism-and-racism
--- End quote ---
Someone on Reddit noticed the unusual way that Ahna Skop determined she was Native American after seeing a post about Wormageddon 2020.
--- Quote ---Posted to r/internetdrama - By "sirborksalot" - 2 years ago
so Ahna Skop, who seems to have started the whole "mocking my worm model is white supremacy" thread, describes herself in her twitter bio as "indigenous"... because, wait for it:
"During her undergrad years she researched and put together a genetic lineage with definite links to the Eastern Cherokee tribe of North Carolina."
Direct Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/internetdrama/comments/hvzld3/editorinchief_of_a_biology_journal_says_a/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230118175247/https://www.reddit.com/r/internetdrama/comments/hvzld3/editorinchief_of_a_biology_journal_says_a/
--- End quote ---
Advanced Smite:
In 2018, Ahna Skop wrote about how taking, Kenny, a South African exchange student to prom in 1989 was "the beginning of a journey to advocate for others." In the story, Skop talks about hearing other students make racist comments when they arrived at prom. She acknowledges that Kenny heard the comments but she could see his joy at the prospect of dancing and freedom. Skop goes on to say she "was quite certain his experience at prom that night was very different from mine." I'm not sure how others might interpret those words, but I get the distinct impression that Skop feels like her experience was more difficult than Kenny's.
She concludes by remarking on how "taking a South African boy to prom made me different, our family different, and it changed me. It fueled the beginning of a journey to advocate for others." It is notable that Skop appears to be considered white by the other students. If Skop was a "woman of color" would she have needed to take a black man to prom to reach a "turning point in [her] understanding of race and being black in America." If she was a "woman of color" would taking a black man to prom be "an experience that helped [her] clearly see how race, gender, and identity impacted our daily lives"?
Note: The slur “n_ _ _ _ _-lover” was written in full by Ahna Skop in the original article. I have chosen not to quote it as it appears in the original article at the links included below.
--- Quote ---11/1/2018: The American Society for Cell Biology, Molecular Biology of the Cell
“The entrance: how life experience shaped my passion for diversity and Inclusion”
In 1989, while other high school classmates were curling and teasing their hair up big, I was getting ready to make an entrance. An entrance I assumed would be perfectly fine, given that my date was a very tall South African exchange student. Kenny, who attended another high school across the river from me in Cincinnati, came to the United States before the end of apartheid. Kenny and I had met at a foreign exchange student picnic earlier that fall. I attended every year and had met students from Germany, Egypt, England, Tunisia, France, Finland, and South Africa. It was particularly important to my parents that we get to know these students, learn about their country, and try their food.
I had asked Kenny whether he’d like to go to my junior prom. He said yes and was excited about going with me given it was a new experience. Given how white my town was at the time, I thought taking Kenny could be an issue, but truly I was too young and naive to realize it would be problematic.
When Kenny and I walked in the door to my prom, it was a turning point in my understanding of race and being black in America. It changed the way I saw the world. It was an experience that helped me clearly see how race, gender, and identity impacted our daily lives.
The moment we walked in the door, it was if the needle on the record player screeched off the record on a turntable. As we made our way through the crowd of classmates, someone muttered “n_ _ _ _ _-lover” at me; another I overhead say, “why did Ahna bring a black man to our prom?” Nothing was said directly to Kenny, but I knew he must have heard them. I turned to look at him and smiled as I could see his joy at the prospect of dancing and the freedom, he said, “to mix.” I am quite certain his experience at prom that night was very different from mine.
The following Monday, my mother was contacted by the Board of Education. They called to thank her for allowing her daughter take a black man to prom. She was perplexed why they were saying this, and said, "Why are you thanking me?” Taking a South African boy to prom made me different, our family different, and it changed me. It fueled the beginning of a journey to advocate for others.
Direct Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6249843/
Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20221217195457/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6249843
--- End quote ---
Advanced Smite:
The people that originally contacted me about genealogy for Ahna Skop reached out to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) to confirm whether Ahna Skop, her mother, maternal grandmother, great-grandmother, or great-great-grandfather are connected to EBCI. EBCI's responses are below. As the email exchange was forwarded to me, I am not able to 100% verify its authenticity. I believe it to be legitimate though. This is the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' website https://ebci.com/ which contains contact information for anyone that would like to independently verify. I will be posting genealogy over the next few days.
--- Quote ---From: cornsoupcoll <EMAIL REMOVED>
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2023 1:44 PM
To: Shoshoni Medina <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: Baker Roll Search
Hello,
Thank you for quickly getting back to me, I appreciate you! and sorry this is a duplicate email, your email address server was blocking a reply from the proton e-mail service.
I would like to verify if these people appear on the Baker Rolls for EBCI. I did some personal research and I wanted to check with the enrollment department:
William T. Smith:
B: 27 Mar 1872 - Kentucky, USA (possible year of birth 1870-1875*)
D: 17 Feb 1961 - Pike County, Kentucky, USA
Marinda Mae Blakenship OR Mae Smith OR Marinda Mae Blankenship OR Mae Blankenship
B: 24 Jun 1904 - Kentucky, USA (1900-1905* possible years)
D: 8 Jun 1940 – Adams County, Ohio, USA
Thank you for all your help!
On Friday, January 20, 2023, Shoshoni Medina <EMAIL REMOVED> wrote:
Unfortunately, none of the names you provided were found on our database. I also tried to look them up by birthdates but none of those are in the database either.
Shoshoni Medina
Enrollment Clerk
DIRECT PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL REMOVED
From: cornsoupcoll <EMAIL REMOVED>
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2023 2:34 PM
To: Shoshoni Medina <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: Re: Baker Roll Search
Thank you so much for checking and confirming! If its not too much trouble, can you also please make sure these individuals also do/do not appear on the roll/enrollment?
-Ahna Skop (DOB REMOVED)
-Kathleen Prince Skop (DOB REMOVED)
-Josephine Smith/Josephine Raymond/Josephine Prince (10/3/1927)
These will be the last set of names we have to check, just to cover all bases.
Thank you again
From: Shoshoni Medina <EMAIL REMOVED>
Date: Friday, January 20, 2023
Subject: Baker Roll Search
To: cornsoupcoll <EMAIL REMOVED>
None of those names or birthdates either ma’am.
--- End quote ---
Sparks:
--- Quote from: advancedsmite on January 20, 2023, 07:07:44 pm ---Dr. Skop … argued extensively that making jokes about worms was merely the tip of the iceberg when it came to making jokes about marginalized identities, or an example of a ‘bystander effect’, a psychological theory arguing that individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim in a crowd. (For is it not said: First they came for the worm people, and I said nothing, as I was not a worm person?)
--- End quote ---
My boldings and italics. The first one is well known in the U.S., and explained (with links) here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect
The second one is well known here in Europe, and even in the U.S., as can be seen here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_...
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version