The Daily

The Sunday Read: ‘The Native Scholar Who Wasn't’

06.06.2021 - By The New York TimesPlay

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Andrea Smith had long been an outspoken activist and academic in the Native American community. Called an icon of “Native American feminism,” she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy work and has aligned herself with prominent activists such as Angela Davis.

Last fall, however, a number of academics, including Ms. Smith, were outed as masquerading as Black, Latino or Indigenous.

While many of them explained themselves and the lies they told, Ms. Smith never did. Why?

More episodes from The Daily