George Washington University is investigating the case of a history professor who allegedly admitted to fraudulently pretending to be a Black woman for her entire career, and said Friday that she will not be teaching her classes this semester.
In a blog post that has gained international attention, a writer claiming to be Jessica Krug, a GW associate professor of history, writes that she is in fact a white Jewish woman from suburban Kansas City.
The writer claims she has lived most of her adult life "under various assumed identities within a Blackness that I had no right to claim: first North African Blackness, then US rooted Blackness, then Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness." Krug did not respond to a request on her blog page for comment.
In a statement released Friday night, University Provost Brian Blake and Dean Paul Wahlbeck wrote: "Dr Krug will not be teaching her classes this semester. We are working on developing a number of options for students in those classes, which will be communicated to affected students as soon as possible."
The blog post attributed to Klug expresses deep remorse, calling the deception "the very epitome of violence, of thievery and appropriation."
The writer blames "unaddressed mental health demons" dating back to childhood and says she frequently thought of confessing the deception, "but my cowardice was always more powerful than my ethics." Krug's biography on the GW website lists imperialism and colonialism and African-American history among her areas of expertise.
