Yet another ethnic scammer in academia

[Katrina Gulliver]

This time a white woman claiming to be Chicana.

I'm in the humanities, but not ethnic studies. I've been at conferences and meetings where the theme seems to be that white people should be quiet, and let women of color speak, that I can almost see the temptation - if just saying "as a woman of color" is going to open doors, someone will do it. And we shouldn't be surprised, any system designed to level the playing field - like "diversity hires" - is going to be gamed. The people best at gaming systems tend to be those from the dominant groups. (Look at the college admissions scams).

I suspect the current dire job market teamed with universities choosing to address the racial moment with job ads for specific diverse hires is going to lead to more of these cases. Hard to see an easy solution, obviously universities and search committees don't want to set themselves the queasy task of blood quantum policing, but if they don't then someone is going to do it for them (the author of the medium piece trolled back through 70 years of census returns....which is the final element here. The nightmare job market leaving a lot of pissed off candidates with research skills who definitely will out the scammers).

[writingprof]

"Chicana"?  I think not.  Now, if she had just called herself "Latinx," we would have been so impressed with the shibboleth that we never would have investigated further.  Rookie move.

[marshwiggle]

This time a white woman claiming to be Chicana.

I'm in the humanities, but not ethnic studies. I've been at conferences and meetings where the theme seems to be that white people should be quiet, and let women of color speak, that I can almost see the temptation - if just saying "as a woman of color" is going to open doors, someone will do it.

Notice her job title of "Asst prof of African American history". In the current climate, being just plain "white" wouldn't cut it for that kind of position. Some sort of "POC" cover would be necessary.

And we shouldn't be surprised, any system designed to level the playing field - like "diversity hires" - is going to be gamed. The people best at gaming systems tend to be those from the dominant groups. (Look at the college admissions scams).

At best, rather than "levelling the playing field", the current efforts are all based on the idea that for the first three quarters of the game the field was tilted in one direction, so Team A built up a huge lead, and now in the final quarter the field has to be massively tilted in the other direction to let Team B catch up.

I suspect the current dire job market teamed with universities choosing to address the racial moment with job ads for specific diverse hires is going to lead to more of these cases. Hard to see an easy solution, obviously universities and search committees don't want to set themselves the queasy task of blood quantum policing, but if they don't then someone is going to do it for them (the author of the medium piece trolled back through 70 years of census returns....which is the final element here. The nightmare job market leaving a lot of pissed off candidates with research skills who definitely will out the scammers).

Well, maybe there are some retired experts from South Africa who could help with that.

[Caracal]

but if they don't then someone is going to do it for them (the author of the medium piece trolled back through 70 years of census returns....which is the final element here. The nightmare job market leaving a lot of pissed off candidates with research skills who definitely will out the scammers).

I'd be very careful about viewing the census as a definitive source.

First of all, the author didn't look through 70 years of census data. She looked at the 1940 census. That's the latest census publicly available. The 1950 census doesn't come out until 2022. Another problem is that race on the census isn't definitive. Sometimes it is about self identification, but it can also be based on the census takers view of someone's ethnicity. For hispanic or Chicana identity, this is particularly problematic because it is a cultural identity, not a racial one and can overlap with other racial identities. The problem is that the author of the post doesn't seem to know this.

The research in this medium post isn't good enough and the evidence falls a long way short of conclusive. The closest thing we get is that "allegedly, when some colleagues asked about her newfound identity she claimed that her paternal grandmother had been from Mexico." Sorry, but "I heard through the grapevine that she told some people her grandmother was from Mexico," isn't good enough.  From there, the assumptions get even more tenuous. Her grandmother's father was from Iowa apparently, but what about her mother? The other piece of evidence is that her grandparents had some sort of live in domestic worker.. I have no idea why this is supposed to be relevant. Can people with Chicana ancestry not have maids?

I have no idea if this person has any legitimate claims to being chicano, or what would be legitimate claims. There are some things that do seem questionable. In particular, she did seem to tweet that her grandmother came from Mexico during WW2 and that doesn't seem to line up with census records. However, this is a really sloppy piece and I'd be careful about it.

[Caracal]

Notice her job title of "Asst prof of African American history". In the current climate, being just plain "white" wouldn't cut it for that kind of position. Some sort of "POC" cover would be necessary.

This is demonstrably not true.

[apl68]

but if they don't then someone is going to do it for them (the author of the medium piece trolled back through 70 years of census returns....which is the final element here. The nightmare job market leaving a lot of pissed off candidates with research skills who definitely will out the scammers).

I'd be very careful about viewing the census as a definitive source.

First of all, the author didn't look through 70 years of census data. She looked at the 1940 census. That's the latest census publicly available. The 1950 census doesn't come out until 2022. Another problem is that race on the census isn't definitive. Sometimes it is about self identification, but it can also be based on the census takers view of someone's ethnicity. For hispanic or Chicana identity, this is particularly problematic because it is a cultural identity, not a racial one and can overlap with other racial identities. The problem is that the author of the post doesn't seem to know this.

The research in this medium post isn't good enough and the evidence falls a long way short of conclusive. The closest thing we get is that "allegedly, when some colleagues asked about her newfound identity she claimed that her paternal grandmother had been from Mexico." Sorry, but "I heard through the grapevine that she told some people her grandmother was from Mexico," isn't good enough.  From there, the assumptions get even more tenuous. Her grandmother's father was from Iowa apparently, but what about her mother? The other piece of evidence is that her grandparents had some sort of live in domestic worker.. I have no idea why this is supposed to be relevant. Can people with Chicana ancestry not have maids?

I have no idea if this person has any legitimate claims to being chicano, or what would be legitimate claims. There are some things that do seem questionable. In particular, she did seem to tweet that her grandmother came from Mexico during WW2 and that doesn't seem to line up with census records. However, this is a really sloppy piece and I'd be careful about it.

It will be interesting to see how the academic in question responds to this.  Will she make a confession of scamming, or will she make some of the points that you've made above? 

It will also be interesting to see whether, if she convinces people that she did indeed have an abuela and not a mere grandmother, there will be any questions regarding whether she is Hispanic enough to identify as such.

[Caracal]

but if they don't then someone is going to do it for them (the author of the medium piece trolled back through 70 years of census returns....which is the final element here. The nightmare job market leaving a lot of pissed off candidates with research skills who definitely will out the scammers).

I'd be very careful about viewing the census as a definitive source.

First of all, the author didn't look through 70 years of census data. She looked at the 1940 census. That's the latest census publicly available. The 1950 census doesn't come out until 2022. Another problem is that race on the census isn't definitive. Sometimes it is about self identification, but it can also be based on the census takers view of someone's ethnicity. For hispanic or Chicana identity, this is particularly problematic because it is a cultural identity, not a racial one and can overlap with other racial identities. The problem is that the author of the post doesn't seem to know this.

The research in this medium post isn't good enough and the evidence falls a long way short of conclusive. The closest thing we get is that "allegedly, when some colleagues asked about her newfound identity she claimed that her paternal grandmother had been from Mexico." Sorry, but "I heard through the grapevine that she told some people her grandmother was from Mexico," isn't good enough.  From there, the assumptions get even more tenuous. Her grandmother's father was from Iowa apparently, but what about her mother? The other piece of evidence is that her grandparents had some sort of live in domestic worker.. I have no idea why this is supposed to be relevant. Can people with Chicana ancestry not have maids?

I have no idea if this person has any legitimate claims to being chicano, or what would be legitimate claims. There are some things that do seem questionable. In particular, she did seem to tweet that her grandmother came from Mexico during WW2 and that doesn't seem to line up with census records. However, this is a really sloppy piece and I'd be careful about it.

It will be interesting to see how the academic in question responds to this.  Will she make a confession of scamming, or will she make some of the points that you've made above? 

It will also be interesting to see whether, if she convinces people that she did indeed have an abuela and not a mere grandmother, there will be any questions regarding whether she is Hispanic enough to identify as such.

To be clear, I'm just commenting on the quality of research and argument in the Medium post, not the underlying questions. If you're going to publicly accuse someone of fabricating an ethnic identity, you need to do a better job than that. The writer doesn't seem to have even bothered to look at earlier census records.

[Katrina Gulliver]

First of all, the author didn't look through 70 years of census data. She looked at the 1940 census.

Fair enough - though presumably they went through other records, like ancestry.com, to find who to look for in the 1940 census (judging by Kean's age, neither of her parents would have been born then). Finding the Iowa lawyer great-grandparent would have required going back further I'd assumed.

You make a good point that it's not probative, in terms of hearsay claims. And that ethnic affiliations can be hard to pin down on the basis of government records - but that's precisely what scammers are also counting on....

And again - expect more of these cases to pop up and be contested. Especially when someone in an overcrowded humanities field suddenly "identifies" as something they hadn't been before, conveniently timed for the job market.

[sonoamused]

but if they don't then someone is going to do it for them (the author of the medium piece trolled back through 70 years of census returns....which is the final element here. The nightmare job market leaving a lot of pissed off candidates with research skills who definitely will out the scammers).

I'd be very careful about viewing the census as a definitive source.

First of all, the author didn't look through 70 years of census data. She looked at the 1940 census. That's the latest census publicly available. The 1950 census doesn't come out until 2022. Another problem is that race on the census isn't definitive. Sometimes it is about self identification, but it can also be based on the census takers view of someone's ethnicity. For hispanic or Chicana identity, this is particularly problematic because it is a cultural identity, not a racial one and can overlap with other racial identities. The problem is that the author of the post doesn't seem to know this.

The research in this medium post isn't good enough and the evidence falls a long way short of conclusive. The closest thing we get is that "allegedly, when some colleagues asked about her newfound identity she claimed that her paternal grandmother had been from Mexico." Sorry, but "I heard through the grapevine that she told some people her grandmother was from Mexico," isn't good enough.  From there, the assumptions get even more tenuous. Her grandmother's father was from Iowa apparently, but what about her mother? The other piece of evidence is that her grandparents had some sort of live in domestic worker.. I have no idea why this is supposed to be relevant. Can people with Chicana ancestry not have maids?

I have no idea if this person has any legitimate claims to being chicano, or what would be legitimate claims. There are some things that do seem questionable. In particular, she did seem to tweet that her grandmother came from Mexico during WW2 and that doesn't seem to line up with census records. However, this is a really sloppy piece and I'd be careful about it.

And coming from Mexico, in and of itself, doesn't mean much.   You can be Caucasian, Spanish, Chican@, Latin@...and still be Mexican.  Mexican is not nationality, not a single ethnicity.

[ciao_yall]

A friend from Brazil, whose family came to Brazil from the Middle East, came to the United States and was floored to discover she was now a "woman of color."

I think she identifies now as Latinx because everyone thinks she is, anyway. She speaks Portugese, not Spanish. Her last name is actually of Middle Eastern origin but sounds as though it could be Hispanic.

[marshwiggle]

And again - expect more of these cases to pop up and be contested. Especially when someone in an overcrowded humanities field suddenly "identifies" as something they hadn't been before, conveniently timed for the job market.

According to Caracal, that's not really a thing.

Notice her job title of "Asst prof of African American history". In the current climate, being just plain "white" wouldn't cut it for that kind of position. Some sort of "POC" cover would be necessary.

This is demonstrably not true.

[Katrina Gulliver]

A friend from Brazil, whose family came to Brazil from the Middle East, came to the United States and was floored to discover she was now a "woman of color."

That's another thing about Latin America's diversity that gets lost too.

Is Alberto Fujimori Hispanic?

Is Giselle Bündchen a "woman of color"? (is she Latina?).

[apl68]

but if they don't then someone is going to do it for them (the author of the medium piece trolled back through 70 years of census returns....which is the final element here. The nightmare job market leaving a lot of pissed off candidates with research skills who definitely will out the scammers).

I'd be very careful about viewing the census as a definitive source.

First of all, the author didn't look through 70 years of census data. She looked at the 1940 census. That's the latest census publicly available. The 1950 census doesn't come out until 2022. Another problem is that race on the census isn't definitive. Sometimes it is about self identification, but it can also be based on the census takers view of someone's ethnicity. For hispanic or Chicana identity, this is particularly problematic because it is a cultural identity, not a racial one and can overlap with other racial identities. The problem is that the author of the post doesn't seem to know this.

The research in this medium post isn't good enough and the evidence falls a long way short of conclusive. The closest thing we get is that "allegedly, when some colleagues asked about her newfound identity she claimed that her paternal grandmother had been from Mexico." Sorry, but "I heard through the grapevine that she told some people her grandmother was from Mexico," isn't good enough.  From there, the assumptions get even more tenuous. Her grandmother's father was from Iowa apparently, but what about her mother? The other piece of evidence is that her grandparents had some sort of live in domestic worker.. I have no idea why this is supposed to be relevant. Can people with Chicana ancestry not have maids?

I have no idea if this person has any legitimate claims to being chicano, or what would be legitimate claims. There are some things that do seem questionable. In particular, she did seem to tweet that her grandmother came from Mexico during WW2 and that doesn't seem to line up with census records. However, this is a really sloppy piece and I'd be careful about it.

And coming from Mexico, in and of itself, doesn't mean much.   You can be Caucasian, Spanish, Chican@, Latin@...and still be Mexican.  Mexican is not nationality, not a single ethnicity.

And not everybody in Mexico has surnames of Iberian origin.  A branch of my mother's family relocated to Mexico from the U.S. many years ago.  They're Mexican now.  Caracal's right about the danger of jumping to conclusions from superficial research.

[marshwiggle]

And coming from Mexico, in and of itself, doesn't mean much.   You can be Caucasian, Spanish, Chican@, Latin@...and still be Mexican.  Mexican is not nationality, not a single ethnicity.

And not everybody in Mexico has surnames of Iberian origin.  A branch of my mother's family relocated to Mexico from the U.S. many years ago.  They're Mexican now.  Caracal's right about the danger of jumping to conclusions from superficial research.

In the early 20th century, a lot of Mennonites from Russia relocated to Mexico (and South America). So you have "Mexicans" who are German* speaking, of Russian ancestry.

*"low" German, for those who want to be specific

[fizzycist]

Sad, but fascinating. If you go to comments, there is a link to this, which allegedly has obituaries of her grandparents:
https://marycumminsmarycummins.blogspot.com/2020/10/who-is-kelly-kean-sharp-she-appears-to.html

Obviously Mexico is a diverse country with, e.g., a quarter million people of Asian descent and a sizeable fraction of white people with non-Spanish names. But for someone purportedly using Chicana identity to their professional advantage, her story doesn't add up. Also the reaction (shutting down twitter, website, no response, etc.) looks real bad. My money is on her being a faker.