US teacher revealed to host white nationalist podcast

A social studies teacher in the United States was removed from the classroom after it was discovered that she lived a double life as a white nationalist.

Dayanna Volitich, who teaches at Crystal River Middle School, adopted an online pseudonym which she used to present a nationalistic podcast online. The content of the podcast promoted white supremacist rhetoric as well as racial and religious intolerance.

The 25-year old teacher, who went by Tiana Dalichov online, has been linked to the “Unapologetic” podcast, which has since been removed. Volitich established a strong online presence and network through the creation of “Tiana Dalichov,” setting up fake accounts on multiple platforms. Afraid of being discovered, she deleted all accounts linked to Dalichov after Huffington Post first revealed the connection.

The discovery came after photos from the Dalichov Twitter account were paired side by side with images of Volitich, revealing them to be the same person. Immediately, protest called for her to be removed from her position until further investigation.

Volitich has since come forward, defending the podcast as “political satire.” She insists that there is no truth behind accusations of her being a white supremacist and that the podcast was all based upon “exaggeration.”

This defensive claim comes after users published some of the dialogues from her podcast, where Volitich openly claims to promote white supremacist views. On one show, when a guest called for more white supremacist teachers in classrooms, “Dalichov” triumphantly responded “I’m absolutely one of them.”

Other social media users recovered deleted tweets from the Dalichov account calling Islam a religion with “poisonous roots…literally built on violence.” Her tweets and several episodes of her podcast devoted considerable time to “educating people on the horrors of Islam.” Amongst other offenses, Volitich also referred to the “Jewish Question,” an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, and endorsed racial biology.

The fear that stems from stories like Volitich’s is a testament to how effective the white nationalism movement has been at infiltrating society, especially in regards to online platforms. Volitich used the internet to conceal her identity, allowing her to teach in the classroom while promoting racist ideology. These platforms act as safety nets for nationalistic groups whose members can use fake accounts to preserve anonymity and simultaneously gain large followings.

The other concern over Volitich’s story is that it triggers larger distress about who is really in the classroom teaching young kids. Teachers are responsible for equipping the future generations with the tools and knowledge they need to excel. They play a vital role in shaping the minds of adolescents and often influence their developing views. Volitich openly admitted to being proud of teaching her views in a public school, which presents a clear concern. Educational institutions should not be platforms for white supremacists to promote intolerance or influence young minds.

Volitich’s story serves as an example and a wake- up call regarding the growing influence of white nationalistic groups. In light of this event, concern needs to be raised about how to better prevent these individuals and ideologies from entering the classroom and spreading to future generations.

Cameron de Matteis